Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of a ball of rice (generally risotto) with or without (Suppli' in bianco) tomato sauce and raw egg around a piece of mozzarella; the whole morsel is soaked in egg and coated with breadcrumbs and then fried (usually deep-fried). The dish is native to Rome from the region of Lazio in Italy.
When the supplì are eaten in pieces, the mozzarella becomes drawn out in a string somewhat resembling the cord connecting a telephone handset to the hook. This has led to these dishes being known as supplì al telefono.[1]
Supplì can be seen as a variant of Sicily's arancini or Naples' palline di riso or as a kind of croquette.[1]
Italian Americans make a supplì-like dish, but rather than deep-frying the balls, they are made into a soup usually known as soup with risotto. (See Italian-American cuisine)