A panzerotto (; plural panzerotti , also known as panzarotto ), is a savory turnover that originated in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and Southern Italian cuisine which resembles a small

calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in a ...

, both in shape and dough used for its preparation. The term usually applies to a fried turnover rather than an oven-baked pastry (i.e. a calzone), though ''calzoni'' and ''panzerotti'' are often mistaken for each other.

Etymology

The noun ''panzerotto'' comes from a diminutive of ''panza'', a regional variation of Italian ''pancia'' ("

belly Belly may refer to: Anatomy * The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach ** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking ** Belly dance * The fleshy, cent ...

, tummy"), referring to the distinctive swelling of the pastry which resembles a belly bloating. Although etymologically related, the word () refers to a totally different dish from panzerotti, denoting a kind of ravioli which is typical of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

. Panzerotti are also popular in the United States and Canada as well, where it is often called ''panzerotti'' or ''panzarotti'' as a singular noun (plural ''panzerotties''/''panzarotties'' or ''panzarottis''/''panzarottis'').

Italy

Panzerotti originated in

Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the pe ...

and

, especially in the

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

n cuisine. They are basically small versions of '' calzoni'' but are usually fried rather than oven-baked, which is why they are also known as ''calzoni fritti'' ("fried calzones") or ''pizze fritte'' (" fried pizzas") in Italy, most typically in

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

. In parts of Apulia, such as

Molfetta Molfetta (; Molfettese: ) is a town located in the northern side of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has a well restored old city, and its own dialect. History The earliest local signs of permanent habitation are ...

and Mola di Bari (both in the Metropolitan City of Bari), panzerotti also go by the name of ''

frittelle Frittelle or fritole are Venetian doughnuts served only during Carnival. Similar to bomboloni, they are round, yeast-risen fried pastries. Frittelle are served in a number of different forms, including ''Fritelle Veneziane,'' which are unfilled ...

'' or ''frittelli'' ("

fritter A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory v ...

s"), while in

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

they are known as ''fritte'' (a local variation of ''frittelle''). The most common fillings for this turnover are

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

and

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

. Peeled whole tomatoes are drained and dried to be used as a filling, as using non-dried tomatoes will cause the dough to rip due to the moisture. Other fillings are

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the on ...

s sauteed in

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...

and seasoned with salted anchovies and

capers ''Capparis spinosa'', the caper bush, also called Flinders rose, is a perennial plant that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers), used as a seasoning ...

, or

mortadella Mortadella () is a large Italian sausage or luncheon meat ('' salume'' ) made of finely hashed or ground heat-cured pork, which incorporates at least 15% small cubes of pork fat (principally the hard fat from the neck of the pig). It is tradi ...

and provolone cheese. A different recipe for panzerotti is ''panzerotti di patate'' ("potato panzerottis"), a specialty from Salento which consists of mashed potato

croquette A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sau ...

s rather than panzerotti as the term is most typically intended.

North America

Panzerotti are also consumed in North America, where they were imported by Southern Italian immigrants at the time of the

Italian diaspora , image = Map of the Italian Diaspora in the World.svg , image_caption = Map of the Italian diaspora in the world , population = worldwide , popplace = Brazil, Argentina, United States, France, Colombia, Canada, P ...

. As for their shape and texture, they can come in various sizes, and are usually semicircular. They consist of a pocket of dough filled with varying amounts of melted mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and any reasonable number of fillings, which is then folded over and deep-fried. Panzerotti rise during this process, creating a pocket containing a considerable amount of steam which should be partially released prior to eating.

Canada

Since the mid-1960s, panzerotti have been a popular

fast food Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...

item in Canada. Commercialized frozen versions are called Pizza Pockets or Pizza Pops.

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,60 ...

is a Canadian hub for panzerotti production in Canada and worldwide, where Naleway Foods has been dubbed the second-largest processor of pierogies and panzerottis in Canada.

References

{{Street food Cuisine of Apulia Italian-American cuisine Food and drink in New Jersey Calzones Street food Pizza styles Deep fried foods Street food in Italy

Etymology

Italy

North America

Canada

See also

References