What must you eat in Sicily? TOP 12 dishes of Sicilian cuisine

As for the cuisine in Sicily, having been there, I can safely say that there is something suitable for everyone. You can definitely feel the mix of different cultures here (Arab, Spanish, French). The cuisine is varied and full of different flavors. Themes include fish, seafood, eggplant, pistachios and all kinds of sweets. What to eat while in Sicily? Let's take a look at the dishes and dishes you must try while in this region of Italy! The dishes presented here are typical Sicilian food!

Fish and frutti di mare

Fish and seafood are a staple of Sicilian cuisine and the flagship dishes of most restaurants in Sicily. Fish and frutti di mare we buy at the fish market or eat in a pub (in any form). Respectable restaurants have glassed-in refrigerated counters with these specialties, where we can walk up to and choose what we want for ourselves.

As I am a fan of both fish and frutti di mare, then Sicily from a culinary perspective is a great place for me. Below are just some of the specialties we ordered during our recent week-long stay in Sicily.

Pasta alla Norma

This is the dish I tried first while in Sicily. We started our stay in Catania, and this dish originated from there. Pasta alla norma is a classic dish of Catan cuisine - pasta combined with eggplant fried in olive oil, tomatoes and ricotta cheese (usually smoked). It definitely hit the spot with my palate. The pasta in this dish comes in different forms - it can be a typical Italian spaghetti or, for example rigatoni, or "tubes."

Arancini

This is another dish clearly associated with Sicily. Arancini eaten as a snack between meals, an appetizer before the main course or street food. It is a ball or cone of rice for risotto with a filling and drawn cheese. The whole thing is coated in a batter and deep-fried. Arancini They are usually filled with cheese, minced meat, tomato sauce or pistachio pesto. But you can actually meet hundreds of variations from salty to sweet.

Caponata

Caponata, which is a Sicilian dish based on eggplant, with tomatoes, celery, olives and capers as accompaniments. All of this is sprinkled with a little apple cider vinegar, which gives it its characteristic sweet and sour taste. Caponata It can be served cold or hot. We can eat it as an appetizer, as a side dish, or just street food.

Parmigiana di melanzane

This dish can most simply be described as eggplant lasagna. Parmigiana di melanzane is a combination of eggplant, tomatoes and cheese (mozzarella or pecorino). Starting with the vegetables, they are first sautéed in olive oil, then layered with cheese and baked. The dish is very light and definitely fans of eggplant should try it.

Sfincione - Sicilian pizza

However, as we well know, pizza tastes very different everywhere. When it comes to Sicilian pizza here another surprise. Most often we can find it in the shape of a rectangle with a large number of ingredients (usually those Sicilian from tomatoes through cheese). It is on thicker dough. In Sicily it is also sold in the form of pieces - rectangular.

Granita

Let's move on to the sweet specialties of Sicily. Let's start with granites, which, along with ice cream, you'll get in almost any gelateria. Granita Is a slightly melted refreshing fruit sorbet. A combination of water, ice, juices and sugar. The perfect item for the Sicilian heat.

A typical Sicilian holiday breakfast is worth mentioning here: granita e brioche. Granita is served with brioche, which is a soft, yeasty bread. In Sicily, brioche takes the shape of a ball, with an even smaller ball at the very top, sprinkled with sugar. Pieces of bread are peeled off, dipped in granita and eaten. Heaven in the mouth!

Brioche con gelato

Speaking of brioche, Sicilian ice cream is also worth mentioning. Brioche con gelato is ice cream served just in this yeasty bun. The whole thing looks a bit like a sandwich or hamburger.

Canollo siciliano

If you go to vacations to Sicily, I'll bet that on the very first day you'll come across the characteristic filled tubes somewhere. It is Canollo - A must have for a Sicilian vacation so-called classic of classics. A deep-baked pastry filled with pistachio cream, chocolate cream or fluffy ricotta cheese (in the Sicilian version, the Canollo siciliano), sprinkled with roasted pistachios or candied fruit. If you are in Sicily, be sure to try it. Canollo siciliano You will get in any pastry shop and cafeteria.

Cassata siciliana

Another Sicilian delicacy. Once recognized as a typical cake for Easter, it is now eaten all year round. Cassata is quite sweet (for me). Sponge cake - fluffy, soaked in Marsala (Sicilian sweet wine, produced in Trapani) with mascarpone and ricotta, decorated with lots of pistachios, chocolate glaze or candied fruit or icing (depending on the region). It's worth a try, as it's a typical dessert in Sicily!

St. Agatha cakes

And another sweetness typical of Sicily. St. Agatha cakes are sponge cakes filled with fluffy ricotta, chocolate or candied fruit, covered with a thick layer of icing with a distinctive candied cherry on the top of the cake.

Chocolate from Modici

Modica is a Sicilian town right next to Ragusa famous for its chocolate. Cioccolato di Modica is an amazing and unique intense black chocolate with visible sugar crystals from the southeastern part of Sicily. The tradition of making it has been passed down from father to son, where, with exact proportions and additives, local producers have been recreating its taste for many years. The process begins with grinding the beans into cocoa paste. The entire creation process is prepared cold, so that there is no blending of ingredients, and the granulated sugar that is added in the last phase gives the chocolate a grain structure. Such prepared mass goes into metal molds, which have a certain shape and size.

We opted for cold chocolate, which was perfect on a hot June morning. It went perfectly with the typical Sicilian breakfast seen in the photo: pistachio crossaint and cremolata Mulberry-fig (cremolata is a granita, only with more fruit) with brioche.