I taralli sugna and pepper are a must for theaperitif Neapolitan. The intense flavor and crunchiness of the almonds make it the perfect snack to accompany an excellent spritz or a beer fresh.

Taralli were born thanks to the inventiveness of the bakers of yesteryear, who as long as they did not throw anything away recycled the leftovers of leavened dough of bread, creating two strips joined together to form a circle. The dough was flavored with lard (lard) and pepper to make it spicy, and only later were almonds added. Soon this food began to be enjoyed by everyone, especially the most poor who could afford to cook or buy it as it involved the use of ingredients at low cost.

In Eighteenth century began to roam the streets the so-called "tarallari" with a basket on his shoulders filled with taralli to sell to passersby. There is also a song by Pino Daniele reminiscent Supplied Bisaccia, said Fortunato o' Tarallaro, who with his taralli cart went around the entire city. Even today at the busiest and most crowded spots there are little kiosks and vans offering taralli, soft drinks and snacks various.

The origins of the name

On the origin of the name there are different ideas: some believe it comes from the Latin word “torrère", i.e., toast, because of the way they are baked; others, however, from the French "toral" (dryer). Even more original is the hypothesis that it derives from the Italic word "tar", meaning "to wrap," in reference to the round shape obtained by knotting the two dough flaps.

The main outlets in Naples

There are many outlets in Naples where you can buy traditional taralli: among them the historic Tarallificio Leopoldo to Via Foria or the Taralleria Napoletana near San Gregorio Armeno: the latter offers an endless variety of taralli to choose from, from simple to special flavors. In the old area there is also Tarallificio Esposito at Sanità District, a small family-run bakery that also produces "o' pagnottiello", a kind of panuozzo made from pizza dough.

Another historic taralli factory is definitely that of Poppella: generally known for the famous snowflakes, actually Poppella owns a location near the bakery, which continues to pass on the ancient tradition of taralli.

Recipe

To prepare about 20 taralli requires:

• 1/2 kg flour
• 150 g of lard
• 1 nut of yeast
• 100 g almonds
• salt and pepper (about 5 teaspoons of pepper and 10 g of salt)

Preparation:

1. Place the flour on the work surface, creating a central hole where you add suet, salt, lots of pepper and the yeast previously dissolved in warm water. 
2. Mix everything well and break off pieces of dough; work them with your hands to create fairly large strings of about 20 cm and insert almonds inside the dough, whole or in pieces depending on your preference.
3. For each tarallo, knot the two strings by pressing one end over that of the other by squeezing with your thumb.
4. After letting them rise for about an hour bake them at 160° in static mode for about an hour, preferably baking them in the middle rack of the oven. Let them brown and enjoy once cooled.