This is a delicacy found across several Sicilian provinces, prepared in different ways according to local traditions.
Near Pietraperzia, in the Sicilian hinterland, a tasty and very simple traditional product is made. We are talking about the “Cuddiruna”, a typical local recipe that exists in both a sweet and a savoury version.

Around this dish there are even sayings in dialect: “trari bracia a lu’ so cuddiruni”, meaning to pursue one’s own interest without caring about others.

Origins and tradition

The word “cuddiruni” comes from Greek and means “loaf”, therefore rooted in Hellenic culture. Its origins are mostly linked to the rural life of the past, especially to farm women, who prepared food for their farmer husbands who needed to move from one place to another and carry a practical, stuffed meal made with local products. For this reason, they created this stuffed flatbread, designed to be carried even over long distances.

In other areas of Sicily, this dish is considered a true gastronomic relic, once prepared as a quick meal to be eaten immediately on the spot. It was originally made from leftover dough used for bread.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

SWEET VERSION:

500 g durum wheat semolina flour
250 g lukewarm milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable butter
1/2 cube fresh yeast
1 pinch of salt
Sunflower oil
Sugar for final decoration

SAVOURY VERSION:

1 kg re-milled durum wheat semolina flour
40 g fresh yeast
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
600 ml water
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Preparation is quite simple: just roll out the bread dough, create a hole in the center, prick the dough with a fork and fry it in hot oil on both sides. Once cooked, the dough is topped with sugar or honey for the sweet version.

For the savoury version, instead, the dough includes the addition of anchovies, salt, and pepper.

Text and photos from the web.