Vlog di agosto a Roma tra cibo e passeggiate

Why is it called “supplì al telefono”?

The supplì is Rome’s beloved fried rice croquette — rice cooked in tomato-and-meat ragù, wrapped around a core of mozzarella, breaded and deep-fried. The famous tag al telefono comes from what happens when you break a hot one open: the molten cheese stretches into a long thread between the two halves, like the cord of an old telephone. Romans treat the supplì as their own, distinct from Sicilian arancini.

The word supplì is usually traced to the French surprise, hinting at the hidden cheesy center; one popular legend ties it to Napoleon’s troops in Rome exclaiming over the gooey filling. It appears on a Roman menu as early as 1870 as “soplis di riso.” Unlike arancini, the classic Roman supplì is mozzarella-filled and oval, a fixture of friggitorie and pizza al taglio counters.