Bomboloni, Bombolone, Bombolini

Bomboloni are popular Italian desserts or snacks made of round pieces of deep-fried dough filled with jam, sweet cream or custard. They can be viewed as Italy’s answer to American jelly doughnuts or cream-filled doughnuts. However, rather than having a hole in the middle, bomboloni are completely filled and are either closed at the top, or are filled from the top, creating a small “button” of filling. Also, they are traditionally coated in sugar.

These sweet treats are also sometimes referred to as bomba or bomb in different regions in Italy, most likely due to the explosion of filling that occurs when it is bitten into.

Wondering what “bombolone” is? Bombolone is simply the single version of bomboloni.
(Italian-American dad joke of the day: What do you call an Italian doughnut that got a divorce? A bombolonely. *Ba dum tss*)

So then, what are bombolini? Well, “bombolini” is simply a commonly misspelled version of bomboloni and a pasta restaurant in Virginia.

Other types of Italian doughnuts include grispelle (Christmas doughnuts), sfingi (Sicilian doughnuts) and zeppole (doughnut holes).

Where did they come from?

Bomboloni originated in Tuscany, Italy and date back to the early 17th century. It is an evolution of the Austrian krapfen (jelly-filled doughnut), which was said to be invented by a German woman with the surname, Krapft.

Flavors and variations of bomboloni

Bomboloni Nutella

As you may have guessed, this variation of the bombolone is filled with Nutella. It gives it a satisfyingly creamy, yet chocolatey flavor for all of you chocoholics. Nutella can also be replaced with any other flavored jam, jelly, preserve, or cream.

Bombolato

The bombolato is an ice cream sandwich made of bombolone and gelato. The gelato is often chocolate or vanilla, but it can come in all kinds of flavors. Also, bombolatos can be dressed up, like the strawberry shortcake bombolato at Disney Springs.

Kristina Reynolds

Kristina Reynolds is the Founder & CEO of Glutto and an alumna of the University of California, San Diego.  She writes articles & posts for Glutto Digest with insights from fellow industry experts.  Furthermore, she is the author of The Fittest Food Lovers: How EVERY BODY Can be Incredibly Fit and Still Enjoy Food, a collaborative philanthropic book with proceeds going to charities that fight world hunger.