One of One of the delicacies to try absolutely in Sicily are the Arancine – or the Arancini if you are in the whole island except Palermo. Strictly fried in seed oil, with meat sauce or white with butter, they represent one of the gastronomic symbols of the region.

The taste is definitely enveloping, but it can not be said that they are a light food for the stomach. Inside the cooked rice is seasoned and served in a wrap of fried breadcrumbs.

The origins

The origins of the Arancino are still discussed. Being a product of popular origin it is difficult to give a temporal collocation to the recipe and to attribute its paternity. In the absence of this information we tried to trace the origins on the basis of the ingredients used: the saffron means that the dish is placed in the early Middle Ages and in particular the Muslim domination of the island has given way to the consumption of the dish.

On the basis of migration processes, arancino has become an international dish. Just think of the mass expatriation of the early ‘900 to America where the dish has become customary consumption.

Mass culture

The arancino is considered by the Sicilians as the most characteristic rotisserie product of its cuisine. The arancino is considered by the Sicilians as the most characteristic rotisserie product of its cuisine. In particular, exposure to the multimedia world has sparked disputes over the origin of the dish: if in Catania claim the originality of the dish claiming the shape that recalls Etna, in Palermo confirm the originality of the recipe mainly due to the Arab world .

Making of Arancino

To prepare it, cook the original rice in abundant broth until it is completely absorbed. It is cooled on a marble surface. Formed of the disks of this dough, a portion of filling is placed at the center of each and closed. Subsequently they are passed in a fluid batter of water and flour and are breaded in breadcrumbs, ready to be fried.

In Palermo and Catania the use of saffron is very widespread to give a golden color to the rice, very compact and clearly separated from the filling, contrary to what happens in the Messina area, where the sauce is used together with saffron.

In any case, the original recipe of arancini does not include the use of eggs, nor for the stuffing (the original in fact contains a lot of starch and does not need eggs to be tied), nor for breading.