Celebrating Carnevale with frappe

Carnevale in all of Italy is like Mardi Gras to New Orleans. What you may not know is that both of these hugely popular festivals represent a last celebration before the beginning of Lent, 40 days before Easter. It is a common celebration in many parts of the world, ranging from 1 day to 3 weeks of festivities.

Every country celebrates its festivals in its own unique way and most often there are customary foods that go hand in hand with the time-honored events. In Italy, one of the traditional foods to be found from north to south during Carnevale is frappe, a fried sweet dough in the shape of a rosette. But here at home in Canada, frappe are made for any occasion really, including bridal showers, wedding celebrations or feast days in honor of patron saints.