Panzerotti

With its soft tomato and mozzarella core, the crispy bread pocket known as the panzerotti is the genesis of modern street cuisine.

The panzerotti is a traditional Italian street food. They are supposed to have originated in Salento, when a baker used leftover bread dough to construct little fried crescent pizzas with a stringy middle of mozzarella and tomato.

Although it started out as a savory street food, panzerotti has grown into a sweet delicacy that is perfect for a snack, dessert, or even a typical Carnival treat. The sweet panzerotti is commonly filled with sheep's milk ricotta cheese or chestnut spread and coated with powdered sugar in addition to jams and chocolate creams.

Even in the places where they originated, the fillings have become more complex over time, with a wide range of combinations. In Naples, ciccioli (compressed bits of aged pork) and ricotta cheese are used, whereas in Puglia, broccoli rabe and caciocavallo cheese are used. The wheat, oil, yeast, and water content of the dough, on the other hand, has stayed unchanged.