Sicilian food is extraordinary: intense, genuine flavors born from centuries of cultural exchange and the influence of different civilizations. Every town and city offers its own specialties : dishes that have become world-famous icons, street food that defines the big cities, and desserts typical of the most charming villages. A trip to Sicily is as much about discovering beautiful places as it is an outstanding culinary experience.
Arancine: the ultimate Sicilian delicacy
Balls of rice, stuffed and fried, often shaped like a small orange (though sometimes elongated, as in the famous “arancini” from the Catania area). Found all over the island, with Palermo, Catania, and Agrigento especially renowned for their versions.
Panelle and crocchè: Sicilian street food classics
- Panelle: crispy chickpea-flour fritters, often served in a sandwich. In Palermo you’ll find them in every rosticceria, any time of day.
- Crocchè / cazzilli: breaded, fried potato croquettes, often paired with panelle in the same sandwich.
Sicilian rosticceria, city by city
| City | Specialty |
| Palermo | Iris and cartocci (fried pastries filled with ricotta), calzoni, hot-dog “rollò,” savory tiles, small pizzas, skewers, ravazzate |
| Catania | Cipolline (puff pastry with onion, ham and melted cheese) and cartocciate (baked half-moons with tomato, ham and mozzarella) |
| Ragusa | Scacce: filled pastry pockets with onion, ragusano cheese and tomato sauce |
| Messina | Pitoni: fried half-moons, often filled with escarole, anchovies, tomatoes and caciocavallo cheese |
| Siracusa | Cucche (cheese and sausage) and pastizzetti (minced meat, pecorino and rice) |
| Caltanissetta | Raviola: wine-based fried pastry filled with ricotta cream and drizzled with honey |
| Trapani | Cabucio: a pizza-dough sandwich with olive oil, sliced tomato, salt, pepper and oregano |
Sfincione: Palermo’s signature flavor
A tall, soft pizza topped with tomato sauce, onion, cheese, oregano and olive oil, traditionally sold as street food in historic markets like the Vucciria. In Bagheria, a variant skips the tomato and adds fresh ricotta, tuma and caciocavallo.
Caponata: Sicily’s sweet-and-sour classic
Fried eggplant tossed with tomato sauce, onions, celery, olives, capers, vinegar and sugar. Served as an appetizer or side dish, either warm or cold.
Pasta alla Norma: a Mediterranean anthem
Pasta with fresh tomato, fried eggplant, salted ricotta and basil. Named after an opera by Catania-born composer Vincenzo Bellini, which is why the dish is said to originate in Catania.
Pasta with sardines: a Palermo classic
Bucatini with fresh sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts, raisins, onion, extra virgin olive oil and toasted breadcrumbs : a unique harmony of contrasting flavors.
Sarde a beccafico (stuffed sardines)
Sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, onion and parsley, rolled up, layered with bay leaves and onion, then baked. The name refers to the small migratory bird known as “beccafico.”
Cannoli: Sicily’s iconic sweet
A tube-shaped shell filled with sweet ricotta cream, chocolate chips, chopped pistachios and candied orange peel. Renowned artisanal production in Piana degli Albanesi and Santa Cristina (Palermo province), Fulgatore and Dattilo (Trapani province).
Cassata siciliana: the traditional dessert
Sponge cake soaked in liqueur, filled with sweet ricotta cream, and decorated with candied fruit and sugar icing. The name comes from the Arabic qas’ah (“bowl,” “basin”). Palermo is the heartland of the traditional cassata.
