A triumph of taste And of irresistible crunchiness. If we talk about the ascolana fry senses awaken to dive into an experience that pampers the eye and the palate.
This dish typical of the city of Ascoli Piceno, located in the heart of the Marche region, combines tradition, history and flavor.
But what is the origin of Frittura Ascolana?
Its roots go back to very distant times, practically to ancient Rome, where famous were the olives in brine, which constituted the everyday meal of Roman legionaries. It would be necessary to wait until the 1800s to have ascolane olives as we know them today.
Legend has it that the cooks of noble families originally from Ascoli Piceno invented stuffing Ascoli olives with excess meat to avoid food waste. The recipe is said to have been created by a young cook in the 15th century, who allegedly invented this delicacy to impress an Ascolan noblewoman.
Then, in 1849, it seems that Garibaldi, while in Ascoli and after tasting olives, started growing olive trees he had received as a gift from a friend of his, in Caprera.
One of the most fascinating legends regarding the origin of stuffed olives tells of a young servant girl who, while cooking olives, accidentally fell into a deep sleep. During her sleep, an angel appeared and taught her how to stuff olives with meat and spices, thus transforming them into the iconic delicacy we know today.
But la frittura ascolana does not consist only of the, albeit very famous now, olives stuffed with ground meat and wrapped with a crispy breadcrumbs, made with eggs, flour and breadcrumbs.
In an unusual but also much-appreciated combination, cremini appear, small cube- or lozenge-shaped patches of sweet fried cream, served differently depending on the city one is in and often containing, inside thedough with which they are prepared, a few drops of anise liqueur.
It seems that thesweetish aroma serve to dampen the bitter aftertaste of ascolane olives, often accompanied by other fried vegetables.
The sweet, the bitter, the salty are married in a fragrant and succulent marriage of tastes that, to this day, still make all those who want to immerse themselves in this dish of the regional tradition, bringing both young and old together.
