The “galani” are typical sweets of the Venice Carnival. This party, very felt in the lagoon, is an opportunity to have fun, party and even gluttony wants its part. Together with the “fritole“, these strips of ribbon-shaped pasta fried in fat have always been a symbol of the carnival period.
Galani is one of the many names by which these Carnival sweets are known, prepared throughout Italy, with different names. In several Italian regions they are called “chiacchiere”, in Liguria and Piedmont “bugie”, in Lazio “frappe”, in Emilia Romagna “sfrappole” and in Tuscany “cenci”.
The origin of “galani” dates back to Roman times during the spring festival. With the same mixture used to make lasagne they made sweets similar to galani, fry them in pork fat and serve them sweetened.
The Venetian galani are prepared with a dough made with flour, sugar, butter, eggs, white wine and vanilla flavoring. To prepare perfect galani you must then make a very thin sheet and fry them in hot oil or lard, until they are slightly golden, to avoid burning them.
Here is how Grandma Bruna’s recipe.
Ingredients:
500 gr flour, 30 gr butter, 60 gr sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1 egg, 1 glass white wine, 1 sachet vanillin, icing sugar
Preparation:
In a bowl or on a pastry board, mix all the ingredients together to make a homogeneous, lump-free dough. Once ready, cover and leave to rest for 1 hour. After the necessary time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin making a very thin sheet of dough. With the help of a wavy wheel, cut the very thin sheet of dough into diamonds according to your preferences. Then make small incisions in the center, so as to facilitate cooking and obtain more fragrant sweets. Fry the galani in abundant hot oil until golden. Lift them with a skimmer, place them on a plate covered with absorbent paper and let them cool. Then cover them with icing sugar and serve.
Tips
Once ready, enjoy your galani accompanied by jam or mustard to make them even more delicious. Those who prefer can replace the glass of white wine with a small glass of rum or grappa.
