When I sat down to write this post on Zeppole I gave myself thirty minutes. An hour and a half later I found I was still reading articles on the history of this delectable treat. As a non-Catholic, non-Italian and out-of-towner I can honestly tell you I had not heard of Zeppole before moving to Westerly. I vaguely recall hearing about them last year, but the day came and went and so did my intentions of learning more. With St. Joseph’s Day quickly approaching on March 19, I wanted to be sure to learn more this year.
St. Joseph is credited with saving Sicily from a drought. When the first rains came after the long dry spell the people of Sicily celebrated with a big feast. It is suggested that Zeppole were not served at that feast, but came later in the early nineteenth century. The first Zeppole recipe is thought to be from an 1837 cookbook. Zeppole are generally served during the two weeks leading up to St. Joseph’s Day although some bakeries serve them from Superbowl Sunday until Easter. On St. Joseph’s Day they are often given as gifts. Some bakeries make up to one thousand a day. Here in Rhode Island it is thought that they are extra popular due to the prevalent Italian-American community. After watching a great video spotlighting Vesta Bakery on the new website Rhode Island Food & Drink, I knew I had to get out there and experience this for myself.
My first stop was to the Westerly Facebook page where someone had posed the question, who makes the best Zeppole? So many answers, but after a somewhat wild goose chase driving from stop to stop I was only able to locate them at two places. Maybe I was too early. It was only Wednesday after all. I came home with four, two from McQuade’s and two from Vesta Bakery. We had a little taste test at my house as none of us had tried them before. We didn’t know what to expect, but we quickly realized that every Zeppole is different. From the texture of the choux pastry to the filling, not one thing about these Zeppole were the same. The very basic concept of a filled pastry and cherry on top seemed to be unifying, but if we are talking taste they were quite different.
According to my research this is completely normal. It seems as though Italians cannot agree on the origin of the Zeppole, whether to fry or bake or what to fill them with. They can be light and fluffy or bread like. They can be custard or ricotta filled or not filled at all. They do it differently in New York vs. Rhode Island and in Italy itself they are different from region to region. One thing everyone can agree on is that no matter which type you prefer they are all delicious!
Westerly High School is offering Zeppole tomorrow, Friday, March 17, but you need to order them online today! The high school students have homemade the choux pastry, the filling and the whipped cream. No mixes, no artificial powders, all homemade. For large orders, Vesta Bakery also has a deadline today. They have gotten a lot of fantastic press over the last two years and have some Zeppole Day rules. Yes, I just said Zeppole Day rules. Check out their website and be sure to stop in- they are the real deal.
Personally, I look forward to continuing my hunt for Zeppole in and around Westerly. While I think I prefer the basic flavor, the dulce de Zeppoli (caramel) from Vesta was equally incredible! Where should I head next? If everyone can be a little bit Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, I say we can be a little bit Italian on St. Joseph’s Day.
