Cuculli

Cuculli have been made in Genoa's sciamadde — historic port fry shops dating to the late 17th century, when establishments kept cooking fires perpetually burning for dockworkers. Like their wheat-flour counterpart frisceu, they are tied by custom to the Feast of St Joseph (19 March), a tradition rooted in the Roman Liberalia festivals, where fried grain offerings and bonfires honored Liber Pater before the feast was Christianized. Chickpea flour — a Ligurian staple shared with farinata and panissa — defines the cucullo and distinguishes it from frisceu; marjoram is the canonical aromatic, though sage and rosemary appear as variants.

A crackle of golden shell gives way to a moist, earthy interior — mild chickpea sweetness deepened by fermentation, lifted by the floral note of fresh marjoram — satisfying without heaviness.

Chickpea flour lacks gluten, so yeast fermentation aerates the batter through CO₂ physical expansion rather than gluten network entrapment. Frying at 175°C gelatinizes the starch exterior almost instantly while steam pressure from the moist interior puffs the fritter outward; the Maillard reaction on chickpea proteins delivers the golden color and nutty aroma.