Ciambella

A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet (or occasionally savory) snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets. They are usually sweet, deep-fried from a flour dough, and shaped in rings or flattened spheres that sometimes contain fillings. Other types of dough such as potato can also be used as well as other batters, and various toppings and flavorings are used for different types.

Ciambelle (Ciambella, singular) are Italian donuts that vary by region, including some savoury varieties.

Many regions have registered one or more types of ciambella in their official list of traditional food products, including:

Calabria
- cuddrurieddru, a sweet fried donut made with flour and boiled potatoes, typically made at Christmastime.
Emilia-Romagna
- ciambella ferrarese, a baked donut made with flour, sugar, eggs and butter. Originally an Easter dish.
Lazio
- ciambella a cancello, 'gate donut' with an intricate rosette shape, made using aniseed and local wine.
- ciambella all'acqua, 'water donut', so-called because it is first boiled in water and then baked.
- ciambella ellenese, a small, knot-shaped donut made with cinnamon and covered with rose water.
Marche
- ciambella frastagliata, 'jagged donut', made with mistrà (aniseed-flavour liquor) and a high proportion of egg, which is boiled, dried with a cloth, cut in half and baked until crispy.

Trentino Alto-Adige
- Bomboloni - A sweet fried cream filled doughnut made from a yeasted dough containing eggs. The doughnut is similar to Krapfen (golden on both sides with a band lighter in colour in between) but the bombolone (singular) is distinct because the cream is filled from the top with a bit of the cream exposed. Its The doughnut is also popularly filled with jam.