P
Italian · Carnia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Strucchi — Friulian Fried Pastry Rolls
Strucchi (also called strucolo in some areas) are the traditional fried sweet pastry of Friuli's Carnia mountain area: a thin pastry dough rolled around a filling of walnuts, raisins, dried figs, honey, and spices (cinnamon, cloves), then sealed and fried in lard until golden. They are a variant of the strudel tradition that dominates the Trentino and Alto Adige, but the Friulian version is fried rather than baked, and the filling is denser and more Mediterranean in flavour from the honey and dried figs. They are a winter pastry, made for Christmas and Carnival, and their flavour — honey, walnut, cinnamon, fried dough — is the flavour of the Carnia mountain winter.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the pastry
300 g
00 flour
Your own market
1
egg
Your own market
30 g
lard
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
dry white wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
fine salt
Your own market
For the filling
200 g
100 g
raisins
plump; patted dry
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
dried figs
finely chopped
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 g
1 tsp
ground cinnamon
Your own market
¼ tsp
ground cloves
Your own market
To fry and finish
500 g
lard
for deep frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
30 g
icing sugar
for dusting
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the 00 flour, egg, lard, white wine, and salt, then work the dough until it is smooth and cohesive — it should feel supple and slightly firm, not sticky. Rest it, wrapped, for 30 minutes at room temperature, so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls out without shrinking back or tearing. It is ready when it yields to the heel of the hand without springing back.
2
Coarsely chop the walnuts and dried figs, pat the raisins thoroughly dry, then work them together with the honey, cinnamon, and ground cloves into a dense, cohesive paste. Press the mixture firmly to test it — it must hold its shape without weeping moisture, because a wet filling will turn to steam in the oil and burst the pastry open. If the raisins were not sufficiently dried, the filling will not bind and the risk of bursting is real.
3
Roll the rested dough to an even 2 mm, then lay the filling in a firm, compact line along one edge, leaving a clear border on all sides. Roll tightly and without gaps, pressing out any pockets of air as you go, so the pastry sits flush against the filling and has nothing to collapse into during frying. Seal both ends firmly by pressing the dough closed — this is where the dish lives or dies: a loose roll opens in the oil and the filling is lost, and any end that gives way will cause the strucchi to burst.
4
Cut the sealed roll into lengths of 6–8 cm with a clean, decisive stroke so the ends stay fully closed and are not dragged or compressed. Check each piece: the cut faces should be sealed, not open, so the filling is fully contained before the strucchi enter the oil.
5
Heat the lard to 170 °C and fry the strucchi in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, keeping the temperature steady so the pastry cooks through to the centre before the outside takes on too much colour. Do not allow the heat to climb, because at higher temperatures the exterior browns too quickly and the pastry inside remains raw and doughy. The strucchi are ready when they are a uniform deep golden colour on all sides.
6
Lift the strucchi from the oil and drain on a rack or absorbent paper. Dust generously with icing sugar while still warm, so the sugar clings to the surface rather than sliding off. Serve at room temperature.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Fresh-season walnuts from a known Carnia or Friulian grower, single-origin mountain honey (millefiori or acacia from local hives), plump Corinthian or Smyrna raisins hand-dried, and home-rendered leaf lard for both pastry and frying.
02
Estate — Italian 00 flour (Caputo or equivalent), good-quality domestic walnuts shelled within the season, artisan mountain honey from a farmers' market, high-quality dried Turkish figs, and commercial pure lard.
03
Market — Supermarket 00 flour, pre-shelled walnuts (checked for freshness), standard runny honey, good-quality dried figs and raisins from a good grocer, and commercial block lard.
04
House — Plain flour in place of 00, any available mild honey, mixed dried fruits standing in for figs and raisins, and vegetable oil for frying — the characteristic fried-lard flavour of the Carnia original will not be present.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The rested pastry dough yields to the heel of the hand without resistance or spring-back, and the surface is smooth with no tackiness.
◇Touch. The filling holds its shape when pressed into a line and does not weep liquid onto the pastry sheet.
◇Touch. The rolled and sealed strucco feels firm along its length; the sealed ends do not part when gently pressed.
◇Sight. The strucchi in the oil are a uniform deep golden colour on all sides, with no pale patches at the seams.
◇Sound. The fried strucco, pressed lightly, gives a faint crackle — the sign that the thin pastry layers have crisped through.
◇Where it lives or dies. The roll must be tight and both ends sealed without gaps — a loose roll opens in the oil and surrenders its filling; if an end gives way, the pastry bursts.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
2023 seven stars VEGA
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Naramata Bench
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Penticton →Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
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