The Fasnachtschüechli are the iconic round fritters of the Swiss tradition, typically prepared during the Carnival period, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages.

The term derives from Fasnacht (Carnival) and Chüechli (small cake/fritter); Fasnachtsküchle is the term in singular.

Historically, they were the sweet for “stock consumption”: before Lent, families had to use up perishable ingredients and fats like lard, eggs, and cream, which would be forbidden during fasting. For this reason, they became the gastronomic symbol of the festival and abundance preceding penance.

My version is gluten-free and cooked in an air fryer.

While the concept of fried dough is universal, shape and ingredients define national identities:

In Switzerland (Fasnachtschüechli): It is distinguished by the use of cream (Rahm) in the dough, replacing butter and milk. The dough is rolled so thin as to be almost transparent, jagged, and covered with a layer of powdered sugar.

In Germany (Knieküchle): Typical of Bavaria and Swabia, they are famous because housewives stretched them over their knee to get a very thin center and a high and fluffy edge. They are often decorated with sugar and cinnamon.

In Austria (Faschingskrapfen): Unlike the Swiss and German “stretched” versions, Austria is home to closed and puffy krapfen, usually filled with apricot jam, while sharing the same connection with Carnival.

In Italy (Chiacchiere/Frappe/Bugie): The parallelism is evident due to the crunchiness, but ours are usually rectangular, use butter, and often a liqueur (like marsala) to create bubbles, whereas in Switzerland it is the cream that does all the work.

And in France….