Anelletti

Anelloni d’Africa, which can still be found in southern Italy, are great hoops of pasta. They originated in the 1930s, probably inspired by the huge earrings worn by some African women, who became known to the Italian military during campaigns in the First World War. Anelletti are their little brothers, meaning ‘little rings’. They are now widespread, although they are best known in a Sicilian baked pasta that is itself made in the shape of a ring. Best eaten cold, it is traditionally the dish taken to the beach for Ferragosto (the mid-August bank holiday). The recipe is opposite.