How To Make Crispeddi Cu Brocculu (Cauliflower Fritters)

When most Americans think of Italian cuisine, the idea of family-style pasta dishes set around a dinner table come to mind. While this scene is born mostly from our stereotype of Italian-American migrant families in the early 1900s, there is so much more to the daily cuisine options from Italy. One of the lesser known comes from Southern Italy called crispeddi cu brocculu.

Photo: Mangia Bedda

Crispeddi Cu Brocculu Recipe

This street-style favorite is sure to become a favorite as either a starter for your next family meal or as a side dish to the main course. We’ve dropped our favorite variation on the recipe courtesy of Mangia Bedda.

First, You’ll Need These Ingredients:

• 1 small cauliflower head about 3 cups

• 2 large eggs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 3/4 cup water

• 1 tsp salt

• vegetable or canola oil for frying

Photo: Mangia Bedda

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How to Prepare

• Separate the cauliflower into bite size florets and boil in salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the water, flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined. You are looking for the consistency of a pancake batter. Stir in the cauliflower chunks and toss to coat in the batter.

• Cover the bottom of a large, wide skillet with enough oil to reach the depth of 1 cm (about 1/2 inch). When the oil is hot, drop heaping spoonfuls of batter into the pan. I fry six crispeddi at a time. You can place them close together as they will not stick together.

• Fry until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate covered in paper towels to soak up excess oil.

• Serve hot.

• These fritters are best eaten hot right out of the pan. However, if you have leftovers you can enjoy the next day by warming them in a 350F oven for about ten minutes. They will crisp up again.

Photo: Mangia Bedda

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how to make How To Make Crispeddi Cu Brocculu! Itching to try this delectable treat in it’s home country? Our native instructors and culturally immersive group courses will ensure that getting your order in is facile! Click below to learn more.

Italian Culture - A Guide for Visitors

Thinking of making a trip to Italy, but don’t want to be the typical ignorant tourist? Perhaps you’re wishing to be able to take in all of the sights and sounds to their fullest extent? While it’s obvious that becoming proficient in the language is the easiest way to improve your trip, having some insight into the overall history of the country will aid you in appreciating every site you plan to visit!

Language

The official language of the country is, you guessed it, Italian. About 90% of the country’s population speaks Italian as native language with many dialects including Sardinian, Friulian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Ligurian, Piedmontese, Venetian, Calabrian, and Milanese. Other languages spoken by native Italians include Albanian, Bavarian, Catalan, Cimbrian, Corsican, Croatian, French, German, Greek, Slovenian and Walser.

Family and Religion

Family is an extremely important value within the Italian culture and family solidarity is focused on extended family rather than the immediate family of just a mom, dad and children. Most families in Italy also happen to be very religious with the major religion in Italy being Roman Catholicism. This seems pretty obvious considering that Vatican City is the hub of Roman Catholicism.

Roman Catholics and other Christians make up 80% of the population while Muslim, agnostic and atheist make up the other 20% according to the Central Intelligence Agency. 

Art and Architecture

Italy is home to many classic architectural styles, including classical Roman, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical and is home to some of the most famous structures in the world, including the Colosseum and the Leaning Tower of Pisa to name a few. The concept of a basilica — which was originally used to describe an open public court building and evolved to mean a Catholic pilgrimage site was born in Italy.

Additionally, Opera has its roots in Italy and many famous operas including "Aida" and "La Traviata," and "Pagliacci" which are still performed in the native language to this day. In the world of fashion, Italy is home to some of the most famous fashion houses, including Armani, Gucci, Benetton, Versace and Prada to name a few.

Cuisine

Italian cuisine has influenced food culture around the world and is viewed as a form of art by many. Wine, cheese and pasta are important part of Italian meals. Pasta comes in a wide range of shapes, widths and lengths, including penne, spaghetti, linguine, fusilli and lasagna. 

Wine is also a big part of Italian culture, and the country is home to some of the world's most famous vineyards., and in fact, the oldest traces of Italian wine were recently discovered in a cave near Sicily's southwest coast. Wine is produced in every region and is home to some of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world. Currently, Italy is the world's largest producer of wine.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed our Italian Culture - A Guide for Visitors! What aspects of Italian culture would you like to learn more about? Join the conversation below!