Caggionetti Abruzzesi

$18 This was my first time trying Caggionetti Abruzzi, and I’m glad I got to experience them first as a vegan! To describe them, they’re essentially a dessert ravioli. The outside is a fried, sweet short crust dough with a mixture of mashed chickpeas, spices, nuts, and chocolate inside to be eaten around Christmas time. At Funghi e Tartufo, theirs is ‘filled with a luscious blend of rich vegan chocolate, vincotto, chickpeas, and a hint of orange zest.’ They were served warm with what tasted like a pool of reduced maple syrup. Each dumpling was golden and crispy and the mixture inside was similar to a mincemeat but a bit drier and finer, like a sweet falafel mix. I could taste orange zest when tasting the filling by itself but once the syrup went on it it overpowered it all. I couldn’t taste chocolate or vincotto at all though unfortunately. I’m not sure about how these are meant to be served traditionally, but I think they would have been better without being drowned in the maple syrup.