Often used as street food, supplì al telefono are a Roman specialty in the form of rice croquettes. The basic recipe uses carnaroli or arborio rice cooked and enhanced with meat sauce and pecorino. The rice is left to rest before making the rice balls, which are then breaded and fried. The term supplì comes from the French word surprise (surprise in English), referring to the stringy mozzarella in the centre of the fried treat. When bitten or cut open, the mozzarella strings resemble telephone cords—from the days before cell phones, of course!