Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Shrove Tuesday

Happy Fasnacht Day Grandma’s Fried Doughnut Recipe

Happy Fasnacht Day! That happy day when I’d blow in after school, an oblivious cyclone, to find the air heavy with the scent of freshly-made doughnuts. I never knew when it would happen or understood the significance. All I knew is that I’d rush in one afternoon and my grandmother would be serving up heaven from an electric fryer.

Why fasnacht? When I asked, my grandmother had no answer. Or if she did, she didn’t bother to explain. She’d had to deal with so many “whys” from me. But go ahead and look it up on the internet.

A fasnacht – which we pronounced “fosh-knot” (you’ll also see it spelled fastnacht, faschnaut, or faschnacht) – is a fried doughnut made on Shrove Tuesday – or Fat Tuesday, if you prefer – the last day before Lent. Traditionally, the making of doughnuts was a way to clear out all the tasties a good Christian is not supposed to eat again until Easter. Be that as it may, one could use a good fast after so much fried lard!

Now THOSE were doughnuts. The closest I’ve been able to find out in the real world are Italian zeppoli. Not quite the same, but they share a similar, unhealthy, fried, powdered-sugary goodness. However, zeppoli, like fasnachts, can vary. A light and puffy zeppola would bear little resemblance to my grandmother’s fasnachts, which were always cakey.

I miss those doughnuts. My grandmother was an undistinguished cook, but boy could she make fasnachts.

During covid-19, it’s unlikely that I will be hitting the road today, in search of the ideal fasnacht. In any case, I think the safest bet in this area (Central Jersey) would be the farmers’ markets, which are generally only open on the weekends.

I would be appalled by some “authentic” Pennsylvania Dutch fasnachts, which look too soft and are served with butter and maple syrup. I need an austere fistful of stodgy dough that I can enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Music for fasnachts (announcing it on the radio requires a nimble mouth and nerves of steel): Robert Schumann’s “Faschingsschwank auf Wien” (“Carnival Jest from Vienna”):

Not my idea of a fasnacht:

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/blog/116/fastnacht-day.html

The many faces of the fasnacht:

https://lancasteronline.com/features/how-to-make-your-own-fasnachts-plus-readers-share-fasnacht-day-memories/article_87673992-6d45-11eb-9845-8b2d7db963f3.html

PHOTO: These best resemble my grandmother’s recipe

February 16, 2021
Shrove Tuesday: Carnival Music & Doughnuts

It’s Shrove Tuesday. Mardi Gras. Fastnacht Day. The last day to stuff down as many doughnuts as you can before the start of Lent.

To mark the occasion, we’ll have music this afternoon about Carnival, with an emphasis, perhaps, on the Carnival of Venice, including musical depictions of stock characters of the commedia dell’arte, figures like Pulcinella, Scapino, Scaramouche, Columbina and Pierrot.

We’ll also touch on New Orleans with some pieces inspired by Mardi Gras, with perhaps a few works thrown into the mix by Creole composers.

All that will follow today’s “Noontime Concert.” I’ll mostly be pressing the buttons this afternoon and providing the connective material, as my colleague David Osenberg will be joined by composer Michael Ippolito, violist Nathan Schram of the Attacca Quartet, and composer and impresario Paola Prestini for another program which took place at National Sawdust in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The concert will begin at 12:00 EST; the Carnival music will commence immediately following. I’ll be dunking the doughnuts until 4 p.m., on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

Pulcinella che mangia spaghetti

February 28, 2017
Fasnacht Day Memories Grandmother’s Recipe

Fasnacht Day! That happy day when I’d blow into the house, an oblivious boy, and be arrested by the smell of freshly made doughnuts. I never understood when it would happen, or its significance. All I knew is that I’d come home one day to find my grandmother frying the most heavenly treats.

Why fasnacht? When I asked, my grandmother didn’t know. I suppose it’s something she did by rote. But go ahead and look it up on the internet. A fasnacht is a fried doughnut served up on Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday, if you prefer), on the eve of Lent. I guess traditionally it was a way to clear out all the tasties that, as a good Christian, you’re not supposed to eat again until Easter. Be that as it may, I would think any good done by the fast would be offset by the indulgence of so much fried lard up front.

I miss those doughnuts. Now THOSE were doughnuts. The closest I’ve been able to find out in the real world are the Italian zeppoli. Not quite the same – and apparently the zeppoli can vary – but they have a similar, unhealthy, fried, powdered sugary goodness. If you find a light and puffy zeppola, it would bear little resemblance to my grandmother’s fasnachts, which were always quite cakey.

My grandmother was an undistinguished cook, but boy could she make fasnachts.

I know I’m mixing traditions, but “Laissez les bon temps roulez!”

“Mardi Gras” by American composer Edward Joseph Collins:

Roman Carnival antics by Giovanni Croce:

PHOTO: You’ll find fasnachts in all varieties, but these best resemble my grandmother’s recipe.

February 9, 2016

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