 Supplì di riso | |
| Type | Snack |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Lazio |
| Main ingredients | Mozzarella,rice, sometimestomato sauce,eggs,breadcrumbs |
Supplì (Italian:[supˈpli];Italianization of the French wordsurprise) areItaliansnacks consisting of aball of rice (generallyrisotto) withtomato sauce, typical ofRoman cuisine.[1][2] Some believe that they derive from the Frenchcroquettes and were introduced toRome by the French troops ofNapoleon at the beginning of the 19th century.[3]
The name is first attested in the 19th century, and is a corruption of the termen surprise, which is used in French cuisine for all types of croquettes or pieces of meat covered with breadcrumbs.[4]
Originally, they were filled with chickengiblets,mincemeat orprovatura (a type of cheese fromLazio),[1] now also with a piece ofmozzarella; the whole morsel is soaked inegg, coated withbreadcrumbs and thenfried (usuallydeep fried).[1] They are closely related toSicilianarancini and theFrenchcroquettes, sometimes calledcroquettes en surprise,[5] that can be made with rice.[6]Supplì can be also prepared without tomato sauce (supplì in bianco, which means 'white-stylesupplì').
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 atelephone handset to the hook. This has led to these dishes being known assupplì al telefono ('telephone-stylesupplì', in reference to cables).[7]
Supplì were originally sold atfriggitorie, typical Roman shops where fried food was sold. Now they are commonly served in most pizzerias all around Italy as anantipasto.
Media related toSupplì at Wikimedia Commons
