1/2 pound of fine flour
Water
Pinch of salt
Yolk of an egg
A little grated lemon rind
A few seedless raisins

"To half a pound of fine flour add sufficient water to make a thick paste; add a pinch of salt, the yolk of an egg, a little grated lemon rind and a few seedless raisins. Mix well and drop in spoonfuls into deep hot oil and fry until golden brown. Drain and serve hot."

This recipe was taken from "Italian Cooking" by Dorothy Daly. It was published by Spring Books in Great Britain. For the complete copyright-free cookbook see www.archive.org..... P.S. It seems that in the first part of the 20th century most fritters used little, if any sugar. For those who like their fritters sweet this recipe will be very disappointing. As this recipe does not use baking powder or yeast these "frittelle alla Fiorentina" are rather pasty. I suspect modern-day recipes for this style of fritter are much tastier than this one. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi.

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