THE FERRATELLE

The Ferratelle are a typical dessert of Abruzzo pastry, considered in the past "the sweet of the holidays", they take their name from the iron tool with which they are made and which gives the waffles the characteristic texture. The biscuit dough is prepared with simple ingredients ( flour, eggs, sugar) and cooked on a double iron or cast iron plate, in the soft or crunchy versions. It seems that the origin of this specialty can be traced back to the ancient Romans, who used to prepare a dessert called "crustulum", practically with the same ingredients. The plates used to cook the ferratelle, on the other hand, begin to appear only around the eighteenth century: these iron tools with the double plate and the handles were forged by the blacksmiths on commission of the brides of the Abruzzese families, who had their initials engraved on the plate or the coat of arms of their family. "Lu ferre" or "ju fèrro", as it was called, thus personalized, was in fact the dowry that the young girls brought to their husbands. Also for this reason, especially in southern Abruzzo and Molise, ferratella is considered a typical dessert of This dessert is particularly popular in Central Italy, with different names: in the internal parts of Abruzzo it is called ferratella, but moving a few kilometers the same cake is called pizzella in the Chieti area, neola in Teramo and cancelle arriving in Molise. According to the Abruzzo tradition, it is said that the correct cooking times of the waffles must be calculated by reciting a prayer for each side of the ferratelle: the time of a Hail Mary on one side and an Our Father on the other, to ensure that the desserts are perfectly ready. The recipe for ferratella is very simple and very versatile. In some cases this cake is covered with a layer of icing sugar or honey. The variant with two stuffed overlapping wafers takes the name of “coprchiola”, the lid, from the superimposition of the first wafer with the second. It can also be rolled up like a cannoli and stuffed with jam, traditionally made from grapes, but also with custard or chocolate or ice cream or any other sweet sauce. It is prepared especially in winter during Christmas, Easter and on the occasion of patronal feasts, playing a central role in the "palmentieri", which are gifts offered to the patron saint, consisting of a wicker basket with a round base, surmounted by a conical structure covered with traditional ferratelle. Ferratella is therefore a versatile dessert, to be enjoyed at the end of a Sunday lunch, with a hot tea, with an excellent liqueur and also at breakfast.