What to Eat in Sicily: Typical Sicilian Food and Specialties

Sicily, along with Apulia, is my favorite region in Italy. Friendly people, excellent Sicilian cuisine, beautiful landscapes, and stunning architecture everywhere you look. Palermo, a paradise for any street food lover, picturesque Taormina, or the beach at San Vito lo Capo. Sicilian pizza sfincione, delicious pasta, rice arancini, or sweet cannoli. Sicily offers an endless array of flavors and experiences.

What to Eat in Sicily:

  • Arancini. Fried rice balls filled with meat, peas, and cheese or other fillings. Arancini are a typical Sicilian street food, and their name translates to “little oranges,” referring to their shape and color.
  • Cannoli. Crunchy pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cream. Cannoli originate from Palermo and are one of the most famous Sicilian desserts.
  • Pasta alla Norma. Pasta with a sauce made from eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta salata cheese. This dish is named after Vincenzo Bellini’s opera “Norma” and originates from Catania.
  • Caponata. A traditional Sicilian appetizer made from eggplant, onions, celery, olives, capers, and tomatoes.
  • Granita. A frozen dessert similar to ice cream but with a coarser texture. The most popular flavors in Sicily are lemon, almond, and coffee. Granita is especially popular in Messina.
  • Cassata. A rich Sicilian cake made of layers of sponge cake, ricotta cream, and marzipan. Cassata is decorated with candied fruit and originates from Palermo.
  • Pane con la milza. A sandwich with stewed veal spleen, cheese, and lemon. A traditional street food from Palermo.
  • Brioche con gelato. A sweet brioche bun filled with ice cream, especially popular in the summer. This dessert is widespread throughout Sicily.
  • Parmigiana di melanzane. Baked eggplant with tomato sauce, basil, and cheese. Parmigiana is popular throughout southern Italy, but Sicily has its own unique variant.
  • Pasta con le sarde. Pasta with a sauce made from sardines, fennel, pine nuts, raisins, and saffron. This dish reflects the Arab influence on Sicilian cuisine and is especially popular in Palermo.
  • Sfincione. Traditional Sicilian pizza from Palermo with a fluffy crust, tomato sauce, and anchovies.
  • Involtini di pesce spada. Swordfish rolls filled with breadcrumbs, raisins, pine nuts, and Parmesan. This dish reflects Sicily’s love for seafood.
  • Cuccìa. A dessert made from cooked wheat, milk, ricotta, and cinnamon. It is traditionally prepared for the feast of St. Lucy, the patron saint of Syracuse.
  • Frutta martorana. Marzipan sweets shaped like fruits and vegetables, originating from Palermo. These treats were originally created by nuns at the Martorana convent.
  • Panelle. Fried chickpea flour fritters, a typical street food in Palermo.
  • Iris. Fried pastries filled with ricotta cream and chocolate. They originate from Palermo and are named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
  • Pasta c’anciova e muddica. Pasta with anchovies, breadcrumbs, garlic, and olive oil. This dish perfectly reflects Sicily’s love for simple but flavorful meals.
  • Sarde a beccafico. Fried sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and raisins.
  • Buccellato. A sweet loaf filled with fig jam and topped with icing. It originates from Palermo and is a Christmas specialty.
  • Vino di Marsala. A dessert wine from the Marsala region on Sicily’s western coast. It is known for its sweet and rich flavor.
  • … and 25 more Italian dishes from the list: What to Eat in Italy.

Enjoy your food in Sicily!

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