Sfogliatelle

In Italian cuisine, Sfogliatelle (pronounced sfol-j'ah-TEL-e) (IPA: [sfoiʎ:a'tele] ) are filled pastries that are shaped like shells or cones. The word "sfogliatelle" means "many leaves/layers," and this describes the dessert fairly well, as the texture resembles leaves stacked on each other.

The sfogliatella Santa Rosa is created in the monastery of Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini in 17 century.

Sfogliatelle are created by rolling out dough very thin and slathering it with shortening (or, more authentically, "strutto" - rendered pork fat). The dough is then carefully rolled up (like a jelly roll), which creates the many layers. It is then cut into thin discs. The center of the disc (which looks like a roll of ribbon) is pushed out to make room for a pocket of filling. The filling is usually orange-flavored ricotta. Sometimes, other fillings, such as almond paste, can also be used for a different taste. A common additive is the candied peel of citron, a lemon like fruit [http://www.botany.com/citrus.html] [Copyright © Hillclimb Media 1996 - 2008 All Rights Reserved ] .

The dough is sealed around the filling, and the pastries are then baked in a special way to make them crispy on the outside and to give them their characteristic ridges as the layers of dough separate.

Sfogliatelle originated in Naples, Italy, and are thought to have been perfected in convents, because their making is so time-consuming.

The pastry is a recognized element of Italian-American culture and is mentioned on several occasions on The Sopranos, the HBO Mafia series. Tony Soprano used a Neapolitan pronunciation of the word, "sfugliatelle" ('shfooyadell'). Paulie Walnuts favored a similar Neapolitan pronunciation, "spugliatelle" ('spooyadell'), but of a different dialectal variant. The standard Italian pronunciation is "sfol-j'ah-TEL-e."

Regional variations

In Naples the original sfogliatelle is sometimes called "sfogliatella riccia" (meaning something like "curly") to distinguish it from another common version, "sfogliatelle frolla", where a sort of shortcrust pastry is used, which doesn't have the characteristic layers.

Malta's Ricotta Pastizzi are made in the same way but are savoury not sweet, while Pastizzi tal-Pizelli have the same shape but a savoury pea filling. In the Maltese language the pastry used for making them is known as "Ta L-Isfoll"

"Sfogliate" means "leaves" or "layers".