A zeppola (plural zeppole, in southern dialects zeppoli) or St. Joseph's Day cake, also called sfinge and in Rome Bignè di S. Giuseppe is a pastry typical of Roman, Neapolitan and generally peninsular Italian cuisine.
Commonly light, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches in diameter, these doughnuts or fritters are usually topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. Their consistency ranges from light and puffy to bread- or pasta-like.
Zeppoli can also be savory, and consist of fried bread dough often filled with anchovy.
The terms zeppoli and sfingi also are sometimes used refer to baked cream puffs made from choux pastry.
Zeppoli are traditionally consumed on La Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph's Day), (March 19). In Rome, Naples and Sicily, these little pastries are sold on many streets and are sometimes gifts on this day.
In parts of Calabria, the anchovy or a sultana variety are consumed on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
