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Home / Home Featured / What to eat in Sicily

What to eat in Sicily

October 20, 2014 by Gretta Schifano 11 Comments

Western Sicily. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Western Sicily. Copyright Gretta Schifano

One of the best things about Sicily is the amazing and diverse food on offer there. Sicily has been occupied by many different powers over the centuries and the influence of these various cultures can still be seen in kitchens, food markets and restaurants today. Here are some of the things which my family enjoyed trying when we went to the Italian island this summer.

Granita

This sweet, icy, refreshing drink was introduced to the island when it was under Arabic control. They would take ice from the slopes of Mount Etna during the winter and keep it in storage until the warmer months. In summer they would grate the ice and put it into glasses with fruit juice or coffee or chocolate or jasmine. My favourite is lemon granita.

Arancine. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Arancine. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Arancine

Arancine are fried rice balls stuffed with ragù sauce and peas or butter, mozzarella and ham. They are shaped like oranges (‘arancine‘ means ‘little oranges’) in Palermo but over in Catania they are volcano-shaped, in homage to Mount Etna.

Pane con la meusa

This is a veal spleen sandwich cooked in lard. I didn’t try this because I don’t eat meat but my husband did and said it was better than it sounds. Pane con la meusa dates from the Middle Ages when Jewish people would slaughter animals for people free of charge and then keep the innards which they would then cook and sell on the streets.

Lo sfincione

Sfincione is a kind of spongey pizza found in Palermo and Trapani. Apparently it was invented in the Middle Ages for people who had no teeth. We tried it on a street food tour in Palermo and it was very tasty.

Le pannelle

These are fritters made with chickpea flour and are popular in Palermo. They are often eaten in a sandwich.

Cannoli. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Cannoli. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Cannoli

Legend has it that these sweet treats were first created by the women in the Sultan’s harem during Arab domination. The outer shells of cannoli are made of a dough of flour, eggs, sugar and water which is shaped in to tubes and deep-fried. The tubes are then filled with sweetened ricotta or chocolate.

Gelato

Wherever you go in Sicily you’re never far from an amazing gelato. Gelato is similar to ice-cream but better, I think, especially if you go to one of the many gelataria where they make the gelato themselves. My son and I both loved the ricotta gelato made at the farm which we stayed at near Chiaramonte for a few days.

Restaurant at Verdura Golf & Spa Resort. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Restaurant at Verdura Golf & Spa Resort. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Wine

Sicily produces some excellent wines and we enjoyed a Sicilian tasting menu with Planeta wines when we stayed at the luxurious Verdura Spa & Golf Resort. We liked the wine so much that we then went to visit one of the Planeta wineries and bought some bottles to bring home with us.

Here’s a foodie video of our trip.

You can read more about our trip to Sicily by checking out my other posts about Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, staying in a Housetrip apartment, How to drive in Sicily and going on a street food tour of Palermo.

Have you tried any interesting new dishes on your travels?

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Related

Categories: Italy
Tags: Sicilian food, Sicily

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Mari says

    May 12, 2015 at 1:18 pm

    OMG cannoli!
    And Nero d’Avola red wine is just the best. I loved Sicily but was there in my early 20’s, it must be tie to return surely?
    Thanks so much for joining in Time Traveller, it’s been a pleasure to re visit Sicily and think of all the delicious food and wine.
    Mari recently posted…Asparagus, pea and pastrami quicheMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      May 12, 2015 at 1:33 pm

      It’s time for you to go back then – your girls would love it there!

      Reply
  2. Michelle Twin Mum says

    May 10, 2015 at 6:33 pm

    Oh my mouth is watering now. I live with some Italians and a little wgile back one of them made all sorts of Arancine for us, it was so good. Mich x #TimeTraveller
    Michelle Twin Mum recently posted…View from the Shard, London – A ReviewMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Sally says

    May 9, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    Not too sure about the pane con la meusa but the rest of it sounds amazing. I hope you had a good trip. I’ve never been to Sicily but I would love to go and not just for the food.
    Sally recently posted…Airkix – Indoor SkydivingMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Sarah Ebner says

    May 8, 2015 at 3:17 pm

    Cannoli and gelato for me please, although they all sound very good….Love the idea of going somewhere and eating different food. We try to do this too.
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…Keeping Bees At St Ermin’s Hotel, LondonMy Profile

    Reply
  5. stephanie says

    May 8, 2015 at 2:21 am

    Ooh! here I am with one eye on the election and the other blog reading thinking I’m a bit peckish and this really wasn’t the post to click on was it 🙂 I quite fancy Sicily, and the food looks good too! #timetraveller
    stephanie recently posted…Word of the week: FirstsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      May 8, 2015 at 8:04 am

      The food in Sicily is delicious, absolutely!

      Reply
  6. Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com says

    May 7, 2015 at 7:24 pm

    You are teasing me with all these delicious-sounding treats! My Mum’s been to Sicily and she often holds forth about how incredible the food is. Her favourite is granita. I’m adding Sicily to my ‘must-visit’ list, which is growing longer by the minute….
    Nell@PigeonPairandMe.com recently posted…Forty for my 40sMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      May 8, 2015 at 8:05 am

      It’s a lovely place to visit, and great for families with kids.

      Reply
  7. Sam says

    October 22, 2014 at 10:00 am

    I’m one of those weird people who’s not really interested in travelling to Italy. Sicily, however, is a different story, and the food is one of the big attractions for me too. Hopefully, I can just find vegan versions of a lot of these things when I eventually make it there!
    Sam recently posted…A Week in My Life as a Teacher and BloggerMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      October 23, 2014 at 8:18 am

      You shouldn’t have a problem finding vegan stuff as a lot of Italian dishes are vegan anyway. There are lots of pasta and rice dishes which are made just with vegetables.

      Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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