Supplì
Italian snack food
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Supplì (Italian: [supˈpli]; Italianization of the French word surprise) are Italian snacks consisting of a ball of rice (generally risotto) with tomato sauce, typical of Roman cuisine.[1][2] Some believe that they derive from the French croquettes and were introduced to Rome by the French troops of Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century.[3]
Supplì di riso | |
| Type | Snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Lazio |
| Main ingredients | Mozzarella, rice, sometimes tomato sauce, eggs, breadcrumbs |
Etymology
The name is first attested in the 19th century, and is a corruption of the term en surprise, which is used in French cuisine for all types of croquettes or pieces of meat covered with breadcrumbs.[4]
Description
Originally, they were filled with chicken giblets, mincemeat or provatura (a type of cheese from Lazio),[1] now also with a piece of mozzarella; the whole morsel is soaked in egg, coated with breadcrumbs and then fried (usually deep fried).[1] They are closely related to Sicilian arancini and the French croquettes, sometimes called croquettes en surprise,[5] that can be made with rice.[6] Supplì can be also prepared without tomato sauce (supplì in bianco, which means 'white-style supplì').
They are usually eaten with the fingers: when one is broken in two pieces, mozzarella is drawn out in a string somewhat resembling the cord connecting a telephone handset to the hook. This has led to these dishes being known as supplì al telefono ('telephone-style supplì', in reference to cables).[7]
Supplì were originally sold at friggitorie, typical Roman shops where fried food was sold. Now they are commonly served in most pizzerias all around Italy as an antipasto.
