Recipe idea from southern Italy: Taralli

Taralli – snack cookies from southern Italy

They are widespread throughout the southern peninsula of Italy, i.e. Calabria, Campania, Apulia and Sicily – the crispy taralli dough curls. They are available salty, sprinkled with aniseed, fennel, pepper and other spices, as well as sweet and even deep-fried. The sweet version can be crisped up with wine or even dipped in it. The savory ones are used like pretzels or pretzel sticks. Similar to bagels, taralli are briefly boiled, which gives them their special consistency. They are usually around 10 cm in diameter, the smaller ones are called tarallini.

Ingredients for taralli

To prepare approx. 70 – 80 taralli, you need the following simple ingredients, which should be available in most households:
+ 500 g wheat flour
+ 10 g sea salt
+ 100 ml white wine
+ 100 ml lukewarm water
+ 125 ml olive oil
Add the ingredients you would like to use for flavoring: ground pepper, aniseed, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, fennel or finely chopped olives, which you stir into the batter. Of course, you don’t have to flavor them all in the same way, but can use some this way and others that. Of course, the quantity depends on this.

Crispy taralli

Preparation of the taralli

Preparation takes about an hour.
First knead a smooth dough from the flour, salt, water and olive oil. Cover and leave to rest for at least half an hour. Then form long rolls from the dough and divide them into two to three centimeter long pieces. Use these to form thinner rolls, which are then wrapped around two fingers to form rings.
Then bring water to the boil in a large pan and turn the heat down so that it no longer boils. Then add the dough curls in portions, wait until they come to the surface again and remove them with a slotted spoon. Drain them on a piece of kitchen roll or a tea towel.
Then place the taralli on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake at 190°C for another 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.