These frittelle (fritters) are made mostly in the countryside in the province of Palermo, Trapani and Syracuse. However, similar sfinciteddi are made all over Sicily, and everybody claims its originality. Being so easy to make and because of the few common ingredients used, it explains the popularity of this snack. 

The first time that the frittelle or sfingi were cooked in my paternal home, it was in the early 40’s, when we moved to Monreale to escape the war. Monreale is a little town near Palermo famous for the Cathedral built in the 12th century in Romanesque architecture and displaying a blend of Arab, Byzantine, Norman and Sicilian artistry.

The recipe for the ricotta fritters,  Sfingi (unrelated to Saint Joseph Sfingi) is easy to make, it is made with flour, sugar, ricotta, eggs, lemon zest, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and to activate it as a leavening agent, some milk. In Monreale, the lady that taught my aunt Bettina to make the frittelle, prepared the mixture in no time and without weighing or measuring any of the ingredients; at that time Zia Bettina was in charge of all the cooking and food shopping in my paternal home. The frittedde or Sfinciteddi are a treat that occasionally were served as a snack and for the ritual afternoon nosh, the merenda.

Mr. Frank Curcurato, a good friend of mine whose paternal ancestors were from Villasmundo  in the province of Syracuse, has a recipe for Sfingi (we call these frittedde or Sfinciteddi), that if not equal, it’s very similar to the recipe posted below.