Chichi Fregi

Nice and Marseille seafront — the spiral fried-dough street food of the Côte d'Azur, sold from mobile fryers at beach promenades and market stalls since at least the 19th century, with roots in the Spanish churro tradition carried through Catalan-Provençal exchange.

A choux-adjacent dough — water, Olea europaea oil, flour, eggs — is enriched with orange-blossom water and piped through a star nozzle directly into hot neutral-frying-oil at 170°C. The dough is extruded in a continuous spiral and cut with scissors as it fries, producing long ridged cylinders that cook to a crisp golden exterior and hollow, tender interior. Drained on paper and rolled immediately in caster-sugar. Served the moment they cool enough to hold — they soften irreversibly within 20 minutes.

Hot caster-sugar caramelising slightly on contact with the drained oil. Orange-blossom water gives a floral top note that is distinctly Niçoise rather than generic. The interior hollow steams slightly at service — this is correct. No cream filling, no dipping sauce in the traditional form.