What does zeppole mean?
In English, zeppole denotes small, round fried pastries of Italian origin, especially those associated with Naples. They are made from a soft yeast dough and may be filled with ricotta cheese, jam, chocolate, or another flavored mixture before being fried and dusted with powdered sugar. The word belongs primarily to culinary and Italian-American vocabulary, but it is also heard in travel writing, food histories, restaurant reviews, and descriptions of markets and festivals. Although borrowed from a form that is plural in Italian, zeppole is sometimes treated as an English singular, as zeppolo, or pluralized regularly as zeppoli. Cooked and sold warm, zeppole resemble small doughnuts, though their filling and regional preparation distinguish them from many conventional doughnuts. Their combination of simple ingredients, varied fillings, and powdered-sugar finish has made them especially associated with festive street food and holiday gatherings.
nounA small, round Italian fried pastry made from yeast dough, often filled with ricotta cheese or fruit preserves and finished with powdered sugar.
- A small, round Italian fried pastry made from yeast dough, commonly filled with ricotta or fruit preserves and dusted with powdered sugar.
"We shared warm zeppole filled with lemon ricotta at the holiday market."
"At the market, the vendor sold zeppole by the dozen."
"The recipe collection included instructions for making zeppole with sweetened ricotta."
The headword is the Italian plural form, but zeppoli is used as the regular English plural; zeppole is also widely retained unchanged in recipe and restaurant usage.
"The pastry chef piped sweetened ricotta into the zeppoli."
A Neapolitan original, zeppole prove that a few spoonfuls of dough can become a destination all on their own.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of zeppole
Zeppole comes from Italian zeppole, the plural of zeppa, a Neapolitan term for a fried pastry made from dough. The English borrowing dates from the nineteenth century and preserves the Italian plural form, while zeppa remains the original Italian singular.
Related word forms
How zeppole is actually used
The word is chiefly associated with Italian and Italian-American culinary vocabulary. It is often retained in its Italian plural form, although zeppoli is also used as an English plural and zeppolo as a singular form.
Easily confused with zeppole
A beignet is usually a square or rectangular fried dough pastry associated especially with New Orleans, whereas a zeppole is typically a small, round Neapolitan pastry.
Cannoli are tubular pastry shells filled with sweetened ricotta or another filling, while zeppole are compact, round fried pastries.