Panzerotti

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title: "Panzerotti" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cuisine-of-apulia", "street-food-in-italy", "deep-fried-foods", "pizza-styles"] description: "Baked Italian pizza dish" topic_path: "geography/italy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerotti" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Baked Italian pizza dish ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]

Field	Value
name	Panzerotti
image	Panzerotti chez PanzerotTiamo (Lyon) - 2.jpg
image_size	250px
caption	Three panzerotti
alternate_name	Panzerotto (Italian singular form), panzarotto (Italian singular form)
country	Italy
region	Apulia
type	Folded pizza
main_ingredient	Tomato sauce, mozzarella
similar_dish	Pizza fritta
::

| name = Panzerotti | image = Panzerotti chez PanzerotTiamo (Lyon) - 2.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Three panzerotti | alternate_name = Panzerotto (Italian singular form), panzarotto (Italian singular form) | country = Italy | region = Apulia | creator = | course = | type = Folded pizza | served = | main_ingredient = Tomato sauce, mozzarella | similar_dish = Pizza fritta

Panzerotti, also known as panzarotti, are Italian savory bread products, originating in the Apulia region, which resemble small calzones, both in shape and in the dough used for their preparation.{{cite web |url=https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/recipe/pizza/classic-recipe-for-panzerotto |title=Classic Panzerotto |date=19 September 2023 |publisher=La Cucina Italiana |access-date=18 June 2024}} The term panzerotti applies exclusively to a fried product, though oven-baked calzones are similar and the two are often mistaken for each other.

Etymology

The noun panzerotto comes from a diminutive of panza, a regional variation of Italian pancia (), referring to the distinctive swelling of the pastry which resembles a belly bloating.

Origin and variations

Panzerotti originated in Apulian cuisine. They are basically small versions of calzones, but are usually fried rather than oven-baked, which is why they are also known as calzoni fritti () or pizze fritte () in Italy, most typically in Campania. In parts of Apulia, such as Molfetta, panzerotti also go by the name of frittelle or frittelli (), while in Brindisi they are known as fritte (a local variation of frittelle).

The most common fillings for this turnover are tomato and mozzarella. Peeled whole tomatoes are drained and dried to be used as a filling, as using non-dried tomatoes will cause the dough to rip due to the moisture. Other fillings are onions sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with salted anchovies and capers, or mortadella and provolone cheese.

A different recipe for panzerotti is panzerotti di patate (), a specialty from Salento which consists of mashed potato croquettes rather than panzerotti as the term is most typically intended.

Notes

References

References

1. Minchilli, Elizabeth (December 11, 2014). [https://www.elizabethminchilli.com/2014/12/making-panzerotti-in-barivecchia/ "Making Panzerotti in Barivecchia"], Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
2. Sarkar, Suhashini (June 29, 2015). [http://www.saveur.com/panzerotti-empanadas-secret-cousin "Panzerotti: The Empanada's Italian Cousin"], ''Saveur''. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
3. [http://www.food.com/recipe/deep-fried-panzerotti-262162 "Deep Fried Panzerotti"], food.com. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
4. Lorenza, Barletta. (2009-03-03). "La vera ricetta dei panzerotti pugliesi".
5. "Panzerotto". [[Garzanti Editore s.p.a..
6. [https://culinariaitalia.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/panzerotti/ "Panzerotti"], Culinaria Italia. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
7. "Quindici OnLine - L'informazione a Molfetta - Tradizioni molfettesi: Tra le frittelle di San Martino e il ricordo di un lettore di Quindici". Quindici-molfetta.it.
8. (2006-10-27). "Degustazione di frittelle al Centro polivalente per disabili". MolfettaLive.it.
9. (2014-06-10). "Panzerotti fritti: i migliori 10 del Salento". Agrodolce.it.
10. (24 September 2022). "Panzerotti Recipe". Pizzacappuccino.com.
11. (2012-02-27). "Spizzica in Salento....: panzerotti di patate salentini". Spizzicainsalento.com.

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