(; : ) is a shell-shaped pastry with a sweet or creamy filling, originating in the Campania region of Italy — it's name deriving from the Italian diminutive of "thin leaves" or "layers."
, from which the current was born, was created in the monastery of Santa Rosa in Conca dei Marini, Campania, in the 17th century. Pasquale Pintauro, a pastry chef from Naples, acquired the original recipe and began selling the pastries in his shop in 1818.
In Neapolitan cuisine, there are two types of the pastry: ('curly'), the standard version, and , a less labour-intensive pastry that uses a shortcrust dough and does not form the 's characteristic layers. Neither are frequently made at home, instead being generally purchased from .
A variation named (in the United States called a lobstertail) also exists, with the same crust but a sweeter filling.