Zeppola is often served with ground chickpeas.
Zeppola is a southern Italian dessert, a small, round, fried pastry, similar to a large donut hole, usually filled with cream or a filling similar to that used in traditional cannoli. The plural of zeppola can be written as zeppoli or zeppole, and to confuse things, meatballs can have two completely different names: sfinge or Bigne di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph’s Day cakes). This last name refers to the fact that the zeppoles are usually served on Saint Joseph’s Day, March 19, something analogous to the celebration of Father’s Day in the United States, although José, husband of the Virgin Mary, is also honored.
Zeppole are traditionally filled with cream.
Each zeppola is relatively small, about two inches (5.08 cm) wide. The dough used to make them is usually quick bread dough, although some variants may use yeast-raised bread dough. The dough is usually unsweetened and is stuffed or dipped to add sweetness. In its simplest form, the zeppole cannot be stuffed and is only lightly coated with cinnamon sugar. Other times, bakeries make the distinction between a zeppola and a sfinge, suggesting that sfinge are those cream-filled zeppolas, while a real zeppola is always filled with a sweetened ricotta cheese.
The traditional zappola has a ricotta cheese filling.
In Italy, especially in the southern regions and along the Italian peninsula, you will notice zeppole being sold in most bakeries. As Saint Joseph’s Day approaches, various street vendors, called friggitorie, meaning fried food stalls, sell zeppola to the waiting crowd. You will also find these little cakes filled with some unusual ingredients in certain regions. They can, for example, be savory rather than sweet and contain anchovy paste, ricotta cheese with chickpeas and spices, or a variety of other ingredients.
In Italy, especially in the southern regions and along the Italian peninsula, the zeppole is sold in most bakeries.
There are some zeppole recipes that are baked instead of fried. Other recipes suggest lightly grilling each zeppola before frying. The writers of these recipes claim that precooking reduces fat and frying time and results in a lighter, lower-calorie dessert. If you want to cut calories, baking cakes is the best option, and you can cut calories even further by filling zeppoli with any kind of fruit jam or spread instead of cream or ricotta.
Another popular way to serve a zeppola is to dip it in honey. In many regions, when sweet zeppoli, filled or not, are made, they are sprinkled with whipped cream on top and then topped with a cherry. If you buy them from a bakery, they may be sitting around for a while. Some say the best way to eat them is straight from the refrigerator vendors, when they are hottest and freshest. Of course, making them at home means you can eat them right after letting them cool down a bit.