Our passion for everything fried has led to the innovation of fritters which is food that is dipped in or mixed with batter and then fried. Fritters can be savoury or sweet, spicy or mild. Fritter recipes exist all around the world but are more popular in Caribbean, Mexican, South-east Asian and American cuisine.

Origin of the word fritter

The word ‘fritter’ derives its origin from the Late Latin frictura, meaning “a fry” and is used to describe any kind of fried batter concoction; but it specifically refers to fruit, vegetable, or even meat that is battered and fried in oil. The item may be solid pieces, or minced, or mashed; and they may be surrounded by batter or incorporated into the batter itself.

Types of fritters

Fruit Fritters

Call them fruit fritters, churros, funnel cakes or crullers but they all are dedicated to those with a sweet tooth and can be prepared from apples, apricots, bananas and pineapples.

Vegetable Fritters

These are generally savoury and spicy and made best from - zucchini, potatoes, peas, onion, okra, mushrooms, jalapeno, artichoke et al.

Meat and Seafood Fritters

 

For those foodies who thrive on non-vegetarian food the fritter segment can be prepared from – clam, cod, conch, ground beef, ground lamb, ham, oyster, prawn, roast beef, salmon, salt fish, shrimp, etc.

Bean Fritters

This one’s for the nutritious food freaks! They can explore - chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, fava beans, red beans and soy beans. 

Fritters across the world

India boasts of an array of fritters with the popular ones being - onion rings, kanda bhaji, batata wadas, daal wadas, Begun Bhaja et al. Some fritters from across the globe include - 

• Apple Fritters With Spiced Sugar (Rome)
• Artichoke Fritters with Green Goddess Dipping Sauce
• Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce (West Africa)
• Blue Crab Beignets (The United States of America)
• Calas Fried Rice Fritters (New Orleans)
• Cheddar Rice Fritters (Italy)
• Chickpea Fritters Nee Panelle (Sicily)
• Corn Fritters with Spicy Zucchini Salsa (Mexico)
• Crispy Apple-Oat Fritters (The United Kingdom)
• Crispy Eggplant Fritters With Smoked Mozzarella (Italy)
• Double-Corn Fritters With Dungeness Crab Crème Fraîche (The United States of America)
• Fried Mozzarella Balls 
• Ham and Rice Croquettes
• Kimchi Fritters with Soy Dipping Sauce (Korea)
• Latkes (Italy)
• Mashed Potato Croquettes (Belgium)
• Millet-Scallion Pancakes (China)
• Ricotta and Sage Fried Meatballs (Sweden)
• Shrimp and Corn Fritters (South America)
• Smoky Ricotta Fritters (Spain)
• Squash Blossoms Stuffed With Ricotta (Italy)
• Teeny-Weeny Coxinha (Brazil)
• Turkey Croquettes (Spain)
• Zucchini Bacon Fritters With Basil-Mayo Dipping Sauce
• Zucchini Fritters With Soy Dipping Sauce
• Zucchini-Herb Fritters with Garlic Yogurt (Egypt)
• Zucchini Keftedes with Feta and Dill (Greece)

…and this is just a sample list! Surf the internet and you’ll be floored with the umpteen varieties of fritters that throw up. Trust us, even if you whip up one per day they’ll last you for more than a year!