Frittata

The Italian word frittata derives from friggere and roughly means 'fried'. This was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a frying pan (or skillet in the US), anywhere on the spectrum from fried egg, through conventional omelette, to an Italian version of the Spanish omelette, made with fried potato. Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to “omelette” until at least the mid-1950s.{{cite book | author = Elizabeth David | author-link = Elizabeth David | title = Italian Food | publisher = Barrie & Jenkins | year = 1954 | publication-date = April 5, 1990 | isbn = 978-0-7126-2000-0 }}

Frittata has come to be a term for a distinct variation that Delia Smith describes as “Italy's version of an open-face omelette”.{{cite book | year = 1998 | title = Delia's How-To Cook | volume = Book One | pages = [https://archive.org/details/deliashowtocook00smit_0/page/48 48–49] | author = Delia Smith | author-link = Delia Smith | isbn = 0-563-38430-1 | publisher = BBC Worldwide | quote = the Italian word here is lentamente—very slowly | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/deliashowtocook00smit_0/page/48 }} When used in this sense, there are four key differences from a conventional omelette:

• While there may or may not be additional ingredients, {{cite web |url=https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/frittata/ |website=Vocabolario treccani |publisher=Treccani |access-date=9 January 2022 |title= Italian dictionary entry for "frittata" }} such as cubed potato, Andrea Soranidis (2017). [https://www.thepetitecook.com/italian-potato-frittata/ Classic Italian Potato Frittata recipe]. such ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture while the eggs are still raw{{cite book | author = Robert Carrier | title = Great Dishes of the World | year = 1963 | publisher = Sphere Books | publication-date = 1967 | page = 121 | isbn = 0-7221-2172-5 | author-link = Robert Carrier (chef) }}{{cite book | author = Sarah Brown | title = Vegetarian Cookbook | publisher = HarperCollins | isbn = 0-7225-2694-6 | year = 1984 | page = 127 }} rather than being laid over the mostly cooked egg mixture before it is folded, as in an omelette.{{cite book | title = Practical Professional Cookery | pages = 114–119 | isbn = 0-333-11588-0 |author1=H L Cracknell |author2=R J Kaufmann | year = 1972 | publication-date = 1973 | publisher = Macmillan }}
• Eggs may be beaten vigorously, to incorporate more air than traditional savory omelettes, to allow a deeper filling and a fluffier result.
• The mixture is cooked over a very low heat, more slowly than an omelette, for at least five minutes, typically 15, until the underside is set, but the top is still runny.{{cite book | author = Nigel Slater | author-link = Nigel Slater | title = Real Fast Food | isbn = 978-0-14-102950-4 | publisher = Penguin Books | pages = 39–40 | year = 1992 | publication-date = 2006 }}
• The partly cooked frittata is not folded to enclose its contents, like an omelette, but is instead either turned over in full,{{cite book | title = The Oxford Companion to Italian Food | author = Gillian Riley | page = 168 | chapter = Eggs | publisher = Oxford University Press | date = 1 November 2007 }} or grilled briefly under an intense salamander to set the top layer, or baked for around five minutes.{{cite web|url=https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegeterian-recipes/roasted-chilli-frittata |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220143901/http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegeterian-recipes/roasted-chilli-frittata |archive-date=2011-02-20 |author=Jamie Oliver |author-link=Jamie Oliver |title=roasted chilli frittata |work=Jamie magazine issue 7 |url-status=dead }}

{{Portal|Italy|Food}}

• List of brunch foods
• List of egg dishes
• Eggah – Egyptian egg dish of eggs cooked in a pancake, with vegetable or meat and spices (a similar Egyptian egg dish)
• Kuku – a similar Persian egg dish
• Okonomiyaki – Japanese savory pancake
• Rafanata – an egg-based dish from the Basilicata region of Italy
• Spanish omelette – a traditional Spanish dish of egg and potato (a similar Spanish dish)
• Tunisian tajine – Maghrebi dish prepared in the earthenware pot of the same name (a similar Tunisian egg dish)
• Zucchini slice – a frittata-like dish popular in Australia{{Cite news |last=Clark |first=Melissa |author-link=Melissa Clark |date=15 July 2022 |title=Make the Most of Too Much Summer Squash With the Zucchini Slice |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/15/dining/zucchini-slice-recipe-australia-new-zealand.html |access-date=25 August 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}

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{{Omelettes}}

{{Cuisine of Italy}}

Category:Egg dishes

Category:Omelettes

Category:Italian cuisine