TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Struffoli NapoletaniNeapolitan Struffoli
A Neapolitan Christmas sweet of thumb-sized fried dough coated in honey and decorated with colorful sprinkles and sugar-coated almonds. The festive presentation is part of the dish.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (10 servings)
- Cake flour300 g
- Eggs3 whole
- Unsalted butterMelt.30 g
- Sugar for the dough30 g
- Lemon and orange zestUse unwaxed fruit grown in Japan. Finely grate only the colored zest, avoiding the white pith.1 fruit of each
- Grappa or Rum30 ml
- Salt1 g
- Frying oilKeep at 175–180°C.1000 ml
- Wildflower honey250 g
- Sugar for the coatingReduce together with the honey.50 g
- Sprinkles and sugar-coated almonds50 g
- Candied orange peel for decoration30 g
Method
Make and rest the dough
- 1 Finely grate only the colored zest of the lemon and orange.
- 2 Mix 300g cake flour, 30g sugar, 1g salt and the grated citrus zest in a bowl.
- 3 Add 3 eggs, 30g melted butter and 30ml grappa and combine into a smooth dough.
- 4 Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
Ready when
Continue when the dough is smooth and cohesive, after 30 minutes.
Shape small balls
- 1 Roll the dough into ropes 1cm in diameter.
- 2 Cut into 1cm pieces.
- 3 Roll gently between your palms to form balls.
Ready when
Continue when evenly sized small balls have been shaped.
Fry until golden
- 1 Heat the frying oil to 175–180°C.
- 2 Fry the dough in small batches and remove when golden, allowing 2–3 minutes per batch.
- 3 Drain on paper towels.
Ready when
The balls are done when golden brown.
Caution
Adding too many at once lowers the oil temperature.
Coat with honey
- 1 Heat 250g honey and 50g sugar in a large pot over medium heat until bubbling.
- 2 Add all the fried struffoli and stir quickly until evenly coated.
Ready when
Continue when everything has an even, glossy coating.
Caution
Stir quickly before the honey sets.
Decorate in a ring
- 1 Arrange on a plate or in a ring mold.
- 2 Decorate with sprinkles, sugar-coated almonds and candied orange peel.
Ready when
Continue once festively decorated.
Let set at room temperature
- 1 Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Ready when
After 30 minutes, the struffoli are ready when the honey has set.
About this dish
Christmas in Naples begins with struffoli. Families start frying them in early December, and the act of piling them high and sharing them with relatives and friends is itself part of the festivities. Everyone, from children to grandparents, joins in rolling the little balls.
Honey contributes more than sweetness: it also acts as a preservative. Coated struffoli keep for several days at room temperature and are left arranged on the table to welcome visitors. The colorful sprinkles and sugar-coated almonds signal the time and care invested by the maker.
Each family has its own way of arranging struffoli into a mound or ring. They appear in almost every Neapolitan family photograph, their shapes subtly different. Food becomes a vessel for family memories.
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