Panzerotti
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| Alternative names | Panzerotti |
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| Type | Savoury pie |
| Place of origin | Italy |
| Region or state | Apulia |
| Main ingredients | Tomato, mozzarella |
 | The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (May 2010) |
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Panzarotti or panzerotti are filled, savory pastries, different forms of which are popular in Italy, Canada, and the United States.
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Italy
Panzerotti originated in central and southern Italy, especially in Apulia. They are small versions of the calzone or closed pizza, but produced with a softer dough. The most common fillings are tomato and mozzarella, but spinach, mushrooms, baby corn, and ham are often used. Another filling is onions stir fried in olive oil and seasoned with salted anchovies and capers, a seasoning that, mixed with bread, is also used in Apulia for stuffed bell peppers.
Giuseppina Luini[1] brought panzerotti to the northern Italian city of Milan in the late 1940s, setting up a shop near the city's Gothic cathedral. Panificio Figli Luini's proximity to the Duomo, the Galleria, and the via Dante pedestrian zone has made the panzerotti widely known among both Milanese and tourists. Luini has gone on to open a London café, since renamed "Sfizio".
The analogous word, pansoti, is used in the Genoa area for stuffed pasta similar to tortellini.
United States
In America the word has come to be spelled "panzarotti",[citation needed] and is regarded as singular (with the plural being "panzarotties" or "panzarotti"). They can come in various sizes from 4" to 12",[original research?] and are most commonly semi-circular shaped.
It consists of a pocket of dough filled with varying amounts of melted mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce, and any reasonable number of fillings, which is then wrapped, salted, and deep-fried. The panzarotti rises during this process, creating a pocket containing a considerable amount of steam which should be partially released prior to eating.
Panzarottis are available throughout the United States in various Italian cuisine restaurants. New Jersey is famous for their panzarotti.[citation needed]
Canada
Since the mid-1960s, panzarottis have been a popular fast food item in Canada where the singular form is often "panzerotto". Commercialized frozen versions are called Pizza Pockets or Pizza Pops.
References
- ^ As mentioned in the Panificio F. Luini website (http://www.luini.it/)