Today’s Spotlight is on Fritters.

A fritter is a portion of meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables, or other ingredients which have been battered or breaded, or just a portion of dough without further ingredients, that is deep-fried. Fritters are prepared in both sweet and savory varieties.

A fritter is a piece of food that is coated in batter and deep-fried. Fritters can be made with:

• Meat, Seafood, Fruit, Vegetables, Dough, Cooked rice.

Fritters can be sweet or savory. For example, apple fritters are a dessert made with doughnut batter, apples, and cinnamon. Calas are a Creole breakfast fritter made with sweet batter, cooked rice, and confectioner’s sugar.

Fritters and donuts are both fried and made with batter. However, they differ in the following ways:

• Dough: Donuts are made with yeast-risen dough, while fritters are made with chemically-risen dough.
• Filling: Donuts are fried and then filled with cream or other fillings. Fritters have their fillings folded into the batter before they’re fried.
• Holes: Donuts have holes in the middle.

Apple fritters are a type of fritter that are filled with apples and cinnamon. They are similar in shape and size to donuts, but the batter isn’t yeasted.

Fritters are popular in many cuisines, including:

• Caribbean
• Mexican
• South-east Asian
• American

 

History

The word “fritter” comes from the Latin word frictura which means “fried” or “to fry”. The word “frictura” comes from the Latin word frigere, which means “to roast or fry”.

Fritter-type foods can be traced back to the Romans, who introduced the recipe to Europe. The precursor to the fritter was called scriblitas and was made by frying dough in hot fat.

Fritters were common dishes in the Middle Ages. The Scots have been eating chicken fritters since the Middle Ages.

Here are some other places where fritters originated:

• Indonesia: Chinese immigrants brought fritters to Indonesia.
• Southern United States: Corn fritters were probably invented in the Southern United States.
• Japan: The Portuguese and Spanish introduced the batter-frying technique to Japan in the late 16th century.

Apple fritters originated in Europe. The first mention of an apple fritter recipe was in England in 1390.

 

Here is an historic Apple Fritter Recipe for you to Try:

Apple fritters are made by:

1. Coring apples
2. Slicing them horizontally
3. Battering and frying them
4. Sprinkling them with powdered or cinnamon sugar

The batter for sweet fritters in medieval times usually contained wine or ale.

Here’s an apple fritter recipe from 1828:

1. Beat five eggs separately.
2. Add a pint of milk and a little salt.
3. Beat in flour enough to make a light batter.
4. Fry a large spoonful at a time in clear, hot lard.

 

Fritters can fall apart for a variety of reasons, including:

• Not enough binder
• Sticking to the pan
• Wet batter
• Mushy fritters
• Soaking up excess oil

 

Here is a modern Apple Fritter Recipe for you to try:

Ingredients:

APPLE FRITTERS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 large Granny Smith apples or Honey Crisp apples peeled, cored and diced.
• canola oil or vegetable oil for frying

GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar.
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add 1/3 cup milk, eggs and applesauce. Stir just to combine. Fold in apples.
2. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in heavy skillet, Dutch oven or deep fryer to 375 degrees. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter per fritter into hot oil; spreading it out as you drop. Cook each side until golden brown; approximately 2 minutes per side.  Use a slotted spoon to remove paper towels to drain.
3. Whisk together 1/4 cup milk, powdered sugar and vanilla. Dunk each fritter in the glaze turning over to make sure both sides coated. Place on wire racks to air dry and drip.
4. Enjoy!

 

Here are some tips to help keep fritters together:

• Use enough oil.
• Don’t flip too soon or too much.
• Use a non-stick cooking pan.
• Stir in a little more flour.
• Cook them through completely.
• Get the skillet searing hot.
• Don’t over-mix the batter.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan when frying.
• Use a candy thermometer to track the temperature of the oil.
• Use a Dutch oven or heavy pot to help the oil hold its temperature.

 

Here are some fun facts about fritters:

• Fritters are easy to cook.
• They can be sweet or savory.
• They can be an appetizer, dessert, or entrée.
• The first historical record of the fritter dates back to 1665.
• In Japan, they’re known as tempura.
• In China, they’re sold on roadsides containing mostly vegetables with occasional pork.
• In Iran, it’s called kuku sibzamini – a saffron potato fritter.
• In South America, traditional corn fritters will use melted butter, milk, flour, egg, and corn kernels.
• Corn fritters are often mistaken for Johnnycakes.

 

Fritters are also popular in:

Japan, where they’re known as tempura.

China, where they’re sold on roadsides.

Iran, where they’re called kuku sibzamini.

 

 

Celebrating Fritters

There are two holidays that celebrate fritters:

• National Fritters Day: Celebrated on December 2nd
• National Corn Fritters Day: Celebrated on July 16th

National Fritters Day is an unofficial holiday that celebrates all types of fritters, including those made with vegetables, fruits, or meat. National Corn Fritters Day celebrates corn fritters, which are made with a batter or dough that uses a large quantity of maize.

Let us know in the comments how you plan to celebrate or who makes your favorite fritter.