Their names are many: chiacchiere, galani, bugie, cenci, fritole, frappe!
Here in Garda Trentino, their name is Grostoi.
They can’t be missed at Carnival, with their crunchiness and lots of powdered sugar they cheer up kids and grownups in the craziest time of the year.
The term crostolo, from where the dialect grostolo comes, derives from the Latin word crusta, that is biscuit.
Actually, these grostoi have little to share with biscuits because, during the years, they started to be fried in lard (and then in oil), and finally sprinkled with generous icing sugar, until becoming a proper culinary symbol of Trentino.
VERSIONE VIDEO: Are you ready to discover how they are prepared in this funny video?
Carnival means laughing, joking, having fun and… tasting!
And if you decide to spend Carnival time in Garda Trentino, you could also enjoy a unique landscape as Lake Garda while eating the grostoli.
VERSIONE FOTO: Are you ready to loose your phantasy and test yourself at the stove preparing the Grostoi? In this recipe you will discover, step by step, how to prepare these Carnival tidbits on which your kids will go nut (and the grownups as well!).
And if you decide to spend Carnival time in Garda Trentino, you could also enjoy a unique landscape as Lake Garda while eating the grostoli.
INGREDIENTS:
250 gr 00 flour
2 eggs
100 gr sugar
70 gr soft butter
Half shot grappa
a pinch of salt
abundant icing sugar to sprinkle
Grostoi: a taste of carnival in Garda Trentino – Foto Isabelle Yrma Pace
METHOD
Put the eggs in a bowl, add the sugar and beat them until smooth; add the soft butter and the grappa. Sift in the flour and the salt, and knead the dough with your hands until smooth and soft. Let it rest in the fridge for at least half an hour, then sprinkle some flour on the pastry board and knead the dough out with a rolling pin until you have a very thin layer. Cut it into strips and fry them in abundant hot oil.
Last, sprinkle with lots of icing sugar!
Be careful, they can cause dependence!
recipe & fotos by Isabelle Yrma Pace
