Golden Fritters of the Renaissance – Scappi’s Fritelli di Riso

Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum historiale, France ca. 1294-1297 Boulogne-sur-Mer, Bibliothèque municipale, ms. 130II, fol. 87v.

Fritelli di Riso – Sweet Rice Fritters (Scappi, 1570)

Rice fritters may not sound exciting on paper—but let me tell you, these were the bombdiggity. I originally planned to test a savory version (I thought it might better suit modern palates), but after one sweet trial? Sold. The almond milk and sugar were perfect. Even better, the flavors made a lovely foundation for the  fricassee of rabbit and black broth it was served with. This dish punched way above its weight in the Alesso Course lineup.

Historical Recipe

Scappi V.235. To prepare rice fritters.
Get one pound of rice, clean it, wash it in several changes of water and put it on the fire with enough cool water to cover it. When it has absorbed the water, get milk made from a pound of almonds and half a pound of sugar; put half of it in and add the rest gradually until it is well cooked and thick. Then take it and make little balls of it the size of half a Florentine ball; coat those little balls with a batter made of fine flour, water, salt, oil and white wine. Fry them in oil. When they are done, serve them hot with sugar on them.

You can do them differently: when the rice is dry, grind it in a mortar adding in the crumb of a loaf of bread soaked in the broth that the rice cooked in. Then make little balls of it as above, coat them in fine flour and fry them in oil. Serve them hot, garnished with sugar.

Modern Recipe – Sweet Rice Fritters

Ingredients:

• 2 bags arborio rice (about 2¼ cups), cleaned and soaked for 10 minutes
• Water, enough to cook the rice
• ~2 cups almond milk (adjust for texture)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 8 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup white wine
• Pinch of salt
• Oil for frying (e.g., sunflower or canola)
• Extra sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Cook the rice: I used the Instant Pot to speed things along—add water just to cover the rice and cook until absorbed and tender.
2. Flavor it: While hot, stir in almond milk, sugar, lemon zest, and white wine. Let it soak and thicken as the rice absorbs the liquids. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Make the batter: In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and flour together with a bit of water and a pinch of salt to create a thick batter.
4. Combine: Pour the batter over the rice mixture and stir thoroughly.
5. Fry: Drop by spoonfuls into hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides.
6. Finish: Remove to a paper towel–lined plate, then sprinkle with sugar while hot. Serve immediately.

🥕 Dietary Notes

• Dairy-Free (uses almond milk)
• Contains Gluten (can be made gluten-free with 1:1 GF flour)
• Contains Eggs
• Vegetarian
• Fryer-friendly for camping

Historical Context

Fritelli di Riso is one of those enduring sweet fritters that persisted across centuries. Scappi gives us a luxurious version for the Renaissance papal court, using almond milk and sugar—both prestige ingredients. Earlier references appear in Maestro Martino’s Libro de Arte Coquinaria (15th century), and a nearly unchanged version lives on today in Tuscany as Frittelle di San Giuseppe, traditionally served on Father’s Day.

See also: Poggio al Bosco’s Nonna Maria’s version, which swaps almond milk for dairy and adds butter, lemon zest, and Vin Santo for a regional twist.

Cooking Notes

• This recipe scales up beautifully and holds its shape during frying.
• For a more rustic texture, you can pulse the rice mixture slightly in a food processor before battering, mimicking Scappi’s second variation.
• I skipped the bread-and-broth version, though that one has promise for a feast day pottage variant.