Panzerotti

A half-moon of soft pizza-type dough sealed around tomato and mozzarella and dropped into hot oil until it swells and turns gold: the panzerotto is Puglia's answer to the question of what to do with leftover bread dough, and Bari eats it standing on the pavement at ten at night. The name comes from panza, belly, for the way it puffs. It is a cousin of the Neapolitan pizza fritta and the calzone, but smaller than either, always fried rather than baked, and with a filling that in the original is only tomato, mozzarella and a little pepper or oregano. Newer fillings include ricotta and spinach, mortadella, or ham and cheese, and a sweet version with Nutella exists, but the tomato and mozzarella one is what a Barese means by the word. It is sold from friggitorie and bakeries and made at home for Carnival and for guests.