I’ve for a few words for you “cuddruriaddri” – “cullurielli” – “grispuli“.
These are just some of the names used throughout the province of Cosenza for this traditional Calabrian food which you’ll usually find during the Christmas season.
In Cosenza, they are called “cuddruriaddri” or “cullurielli“. And, even after all these years in Cosenza, I still can’t pronounce these words to save my life! But, I like to think that if I just say “cuddruraiddri” very fast, maybe no one will notice how much I’m messing it up!
For me, growing up, we called them “grispuli” (much easier to say, right?) and when the Christmas season rolled around we often became quite excited knowing we would be indulging in this delicious treat!
Even though nowadays you can enjoy them all year round, it’s still very much tradition to make them during the Christmas period. In Cosenza, on the eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, many Cosentini will have them for dinner.
Throughout the years, I’ve attempted to learn traditional Calabrian recipes from Polpette di Riso to Parmigiana di Melanzane (Eggplant Parmesan) to Bocconotti.
We’ve had to spend a lot more time close to home these days, so I decided now was probably a good time to learn this traditional and yummy Calabrian food and give this cuddruriaddri recipe a try!
As is the case with most recipes, there are so many different versions, this is the cuddruriaddri recipe I used:
Ingredients: (makes about 15)
500 grams flour 00
250 grams potatoes
13 grams salt
1/2 cube brewer’s yeast
500ml (approx) lukewarm water
oil for frying (peanut or sunflower oil is best)
Directions:
Boil potatoes (with skins) and then pass them through a potato masher into a large bowl. (Depending on the kind of masher you have, you may need to remove the skins first). I like to begin to mix the batter in a large bowl before moving it to a flat surface for kneading.
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in some water. Add some flour to the mashed potatoes and mix, then add some water and mix to begin creating your batter. At this point, you can add the yeast.
Now begin alternating between flour and water to form a soft dough. At the halfway point, add the salt. I find it easier to mix the ingredients using a fork at first as the dough is (and will remain) quite sticky. At the halfway point, add the salt.
Now you can move to a flat surface to knead the dough – be sure to lightly flour the surface. Knead the dough adding flour as needed – keep in mind that the dough should remain soft and a bit moist, it should still stick a bit to your hands.
Let the dough rest for about 10-15 minutes. Once you’ve left it to rest a bit, you can start dividing the dough into smaller balls. I weighed them on a scale (approx 60-70 grams each) – but you can make them as big or small as you like.
I formed the balls by folding the dough around and under – I think this helps to maintain its fluffiness when it’s time to fry them. Place the small rolls on a tray sprinkled with flour – space them out as they will double in size. (I used a kitchen towel with flour sprinkled on it so they wouldn’t stick as much to the surface). Cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place for 2-3 hours to rise.
Now we are ready to fry our cuddruriaddri:
Prepare a small bowl with some oil. You will need to lightly rub your hands in some oil before picking up the small balls of dough. This will prevent them from sticking to your hands.
In a deep pan, heat up the oil. Gently take one of the balls and create a hole in the middle (like a donut). Then, then place in the oil. To prevent the hole from closing up put the tail end of a wooden spoon in the hole and twirl the “donut” around a few times. The cuddruriaddriwill take form and you can go on to the next one.
Always keep an eye on the cuddruriaddriwhile frying and be sure to turn them over every so often. They are ready once they’ve reached a light golden colour.
Place the fried cuddruriaddri on a tray or plate lined with paper towels to absorb any extra oil.
You can check out this short video I made of the cuddruriaddri recipe for Instagram.
And there you have it, traditional Calabrian cuddruriaddri!Enjoy!
Does your family have a cuddruriaddri recipe? Have you ever tried making them? If you give this recipe a try, let me know in the comments below!
If you want to find out what I’m up to here in Calabria, you can keep up with my daily life and musings over on theCalabrisella Mia Facebook PageandInstagram!
