Frittata
 | |
| Type | Omelette |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Main ingredients | Fried beaten eggs |
| Variations | Fritaja (Istria) |
Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish, similar to an omelette, crustless quiche or scrambled eggs, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses or vegetables.
History
[edit]The Italian word frittata derives from friggere and roughly means 'fried'. This was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a frying pan. Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to "omelette" until at least the mid-1950s.[1]
In Naples, the dish is claimed to have been invented locally. There, a variety made from pasta is most popular and is a source of local pride, with its creation held to represent a "stroke of Neapolitan genius", in contrast with an occasional perception outside the region that the version's creation and popularity signifies poverty and a lack of variety in Neapolitan cuisine.[a] In the Naples region, frittatas are always thin. Varieties made without spaghetti are also commonly eaten, in smaller portions in the antipasto course and in larger pieces as a main course.[2]
Variations
[edit]Frittata has come to be a term for a distinct variation that Delia Smith describes as "Italy's version of an open-face omelette".[3] When used in this sense, there are four key differences from a conventional omelette:
- While there may or may not be additional ingredients,[4] such as cubed potato,[5] such ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture while the eggs are still raw[6][7] rather than being laid over the mostly cooked egg mixture before it is folded, as in an omelette.[8]
- Eggs may be beaten vigorously, to incorporate more air than traditional savoury omelettes, to allow a deeper filling and a fluffier result.
- The mixture is cooked over a very low heat, more slowly than an omelette, for at least five minutes,[7] typically 15, until the underside is set but the top is still runny.[3][9]
- The partly cooked frittata is not folded to enclose its contents, like an omelette, but is instead either turned over in full,[6][9][10] or grilled briefly under an intense salamander to set the top layer,[3][7][9] or baked for around five minutes.[11]
See also
[edit]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Elizabeth David (1954). Italian Food. Barrie & Jenkins (published 5 April 1990). ISBN 978-0-7126-2000-0.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - 1 2 Schwartz, Arthur (1998). Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania. New York: HarperCollins. pp. 221 – 222. ISBN 0-06-018261-X.
- 1 2 3 Delia Smith (1998). Delia's How To Cook. Vol. Book One. BBC Worldwide. pp. 48–49. ISBN 0-563-38430-1.
the Italian word here is lentamente—very slowly
- ↑ "Italian dictionary entry for "frittata"". Vocabolario treccani. Treccani. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ↑ Andrea Soranidis (2017). Classic Italian Potato Frittata recipe.
- 1 2 Robert Carrier (1963). Great Dishes of the World. Sphere Books (published 1967). p. 121. ISBN 0-7221-2172-5.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - 1 2 3 Sarah Brown (1984). Vegetarian Cookbook. HarperCollins. p. 127. ISBN 0-7225-2694-6.
- ↑ H L Cracknell; R J Kaufmann (1972). Practical Professional Cookery. Macmillan (published 1973). pp. 114–119. ISBN 0-333-11588-0.
- 1 2 3 Nigel Slater (1992). Real Fast Food. Penguin Books (published 2006). pp. 39–40. ISBN 978-0-14-102950-4.
- ↑ Gillian Riley (1 November 2007). "Eggs". The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. Oxford University Press. p. 168.
- ↑ Jamie Oliver. "roasted chilli frittata". Jamie magazine issue 7. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011.
