Giusi > wrote:

>"Nancy2" > ha scritto nel messaggio

>> Really, why is it called a frittata when it's just an omelet with
>> different kinds of stuff in it? I don't get it.

> I was reared in a French kitchen and now work in an Italian
> kitchen, and to me they are very different. A frittata seems
> more like a Spanish tortilla than a French omelet. A frittata
> is denser, cooked through, served room temperature. A French
> omelet is fluffy, taken off the heat still runny and at its (IMO)
> best, anything added is added when it is folded, not in the eggs.

You're aware, probably, that an American omelet is cooked through
and so in that respect is more or less the same as a fritatta.

>An omelet is usually cooked with butter. A frittata is cooked in oil.

I would never use other than olive oil for an omelet. But then,
I'm Italian-American.

>Grated cheese is often added to the raw eggs, too.

That, and being served room temp, are key differences between
a fritatta and an American omelet. Usually the fritatta is
thicker -- more eggs for a given sized pan, and it is usually
finished under a broiler, but that is not uncommon for omelets
here either.

Steve