Frittelle di Carnevale Veneziane con Uvetta e Pinoli

Veneto

Venice's Carnival doughnuts — a yeasted, fragrant dough enriched with eggs, grappa and lemon zest, studded with plumped raisins and pine nuts, deep-fried in abundant lard until puffed and golden, then dusted generously with icing sugar. Made only in the pre-Lenten Carnival period, they are sold from outdoor stalls and eaten hot. The best frittelle are as light as air; the worst are dense and oily.

• Yeasted dough fried in deep fat for Carnival — the German version is filled with jam; the Venetian is studded with dried fruit instead → Krapfen (Berliner Pfannkuchen) German
• Enriched yeasted dough fried in lard for Carnival (Fat Thursday) — same liturgical calendar connection and same fat-frying technique → Pączki (Polish doughnuts) Polish
• Batter-fried raisin fritters — the French Mardi Gras version of the same fruit-studded, yeasted fried dough → Beignets aux raisins secs French

Light, grappa-scented, sweet with raisins and buttery from the lard frying; pine nuts give crunch; icing sugar melts into the warm crust — Venetian Carnival joy in edible form