Frittata is an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelet, crustless quiche, or scrambled eggs, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, and/or vegetables.
The Italian word frittata derives from friggere and means to fry. This was originally a general term for cooking eggs in a frying pan (skillet, US), anywhere on the spectrum from fried egg, through conventional omelet, to an Italian version of the Spanish omelet, made with fried potato. Outside Italy, frittata was seen as equivalent to an 'omelet' until at least the mid-1950s.
The frittata has four key differences from a conventional omelet:
- While there may or may not be additional ingredients, such as cubed potato, such ingredients are combined with the beaten egg mixture while the eggs are still raw rather than being laid over the mostly cooked egg mixture before it is folded, as in an omelet.
- Eggs may be beaten vigorously, to incorporate more air than traditional savory omelets, to allow a deeper filling and a fluffier result.
- The mixture is cooked over very low heat, more slowly than an omelet, for at least 5 minutes, typically 15, until the underside is set but the top is still runny.
- The partly cooked frittata is not folded to enclose its contents, like an omelet, but is instead either turned over in full, grilled briefly under an intense salamander to set the top layer, or baked for around five minutes.
The first two frittatas I've tried are with veggies and with bacon. From what I've seen across the net, I'm sure you'll soon be experimenting with adding tomatoes, spinach, and mushrooms to name a few.
Good appetite!