Supplì
Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of a ball of rice with tomato sauce, typical of Roman cuisine. Some believe that they derive from the French croquettes and were introduced to Rome by the French troops of Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century.
Etymology
The name is first attested in the 19th century, and is a corruption of the term en surprise, which is used in French cuisine for all types of croquettes or pieces of meat covered with breadcrumbs.Description
Originally, they were filled with chicken giblets, mincemeat or provatura, now also with a piece of mozzarella; the whole morsel is soaked in egg, coated with breadcrumbs and then fried. They are closely related to Sicilian arancini and the French croquettes, sometimes called croquettes en surprise, that can be made with rice. Supplì can be also prepared without tomato sauce.They are usually eaten with the fingers: when one is broken in two pieces, mozzarella is drawn out in a string somewhat resembling the cord connecting a telephone handset to the hook. This has led to these dishes being known as supplì al telefono.
Supplì were originally sold at friggitoria, typical Roman shops where fried food was sold. Now they are commonly served in most pizzerias all around Italy as an antipasto.