Cannoli

Cannoli
A basic cannolo lightly sprinkled with confectioner's sugar
A basic cannolo lightly sprinkled with confectioner's sugar
Alternative names Cannolo, singular
Type Pastry
Place of origin Italy
Region or state Sicily
Main ingredients fried pastry dough, ricotta filling
Variations Kannoli (Malta)
Cannoli on display

Cannoli (Italian pronunciation: [kanˈnɔːli]; Sicilian: cannula) are Italian pastries that originated on the island of Sicily and are today a staple of Sicilian cuisine[1][2] as well as Italian-American cuisine. Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. They range in size from "cannulicchi", no bigger than a finger, to the fist-sized proportions typically found south of Palermo, Sicily, in Piana degli Albanesi.[2]

In Italy, they are commonly known as "cannoli siciliani" (Sicilian cannoli), cannolo ([kanˈnɔːlo]; is the singular in the Sicilian language cannolu), meaning "little tube" but in English, cannoli is usually used as a singular, and cannolo is rare.[3]

Etymology

Cannolo is a diminutive of canna 'cane or tube'.[4]

History

Cannoli come from the Palermo and Messina[5] areas and were historically prepared as a treat during Carnevale season, possibly as a fertility symbol. The dessert eventually became a year-round staple in Sicily.

Some similar desserts in Middle Eastern tradition include Zainab's fingers, which are filled with nuts,[6] and qanawāt, deep fried dough tubes filled with various sweets, which were a popular pastry across the ancient Islamic world. The dish and the name may originate from the Muslim Emirate of Sicily.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Gangi, Robert (2006). "Cannoli". bestofsicily.com. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 "The Cannoli of Piana degli Albanesi". A Taste of Travel. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2003 s.v.
  4. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd edition, 2003, s.v.]
  5. ↑ "Scatti di gusto - 30 cannoli siciliani perfetti per un tentativo di classifica definitiva". Scatti di Gusto. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  6. ↑ Michael Krondl (2011). Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. Chicago Review Press. p. 102. ISBN 9781556529542.
  7. ↑ Paul H. Freedman (2007). Food: The History of Taste (illustrated ed.). University of California Press. p. 159. ISBN 9780520254763.
  • Media related to Cannoli at Wikimedia Commons
  • Cannoli at Wikibook Cookbooks
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