So after 7 days in Sicily…I can proudly report that I haven’t gained much weight. If anything…I feel like I’ve lost a little because it was just so hot and humid! It’s hard to feel any form of gluttony when you are sweating all day and all night. Italy is more than just pizza/pasta; Sicilian food clearly represents this. So keep reading for some inspiration on local food to eat in Sicily.
1. Arancini & Panelle
Sicily is quite famous for street food, and the two most popular ones are pictured above. Arancini…are fried risotto rice balls (commonly filled with cheese and ragù sauce) Panelle are chickpea fritters, and are sometimes served in bread as a sandwich. I opted for the fritters alone as my stomach cannot handle that amount of carbs in one go!
2. Cornetto al pistachio
This is a common type of breakfast and consists of a croissant filled with pistachio cream. It is delicious!
3. Busiate Con le Sarde
Busiate is a type of long swirly pasta that originates in Calabria and the city of Trapani in Sicily. So this dish is busiate pasta with sardines, fennel and pine nuts. I ordered this for lunch in a small town and it was delicious!
4. Caponata
Need some more ideas for food to eat in Sicily? Caponata mainly consists of fried aubergines, tomato sauce, olives, capers, and celery. As you can see…nuts are very important in Sicily so mine had some nuts sprinkled on top.
5. Cannoli
The infamous cannoli originate from Sicily. These are crispy pastry tubes that are filled with ricotta. I have to say…this ricotta was sooooo fresh! so biting into this was like heaven.
6. Caffè al pistachio
Pistachio espresso! I was so excited to see this on the menu. It was not the easiest thing to drink and I’m not sure if I even did it right. It was like a layer of thick pistachio cream at the bottom…and then they added an espresso shot on top. The cream didn’t melt so I pretty much had to drink the espresso and then eat the pistachio cream with a spoon.
7. Sfincione
Every region of Italy cooks their pizza differently. The Sicilian version is called Sfincione. It appears to be a thick based bread topped with cheese, tomato sauce, mashed anchovy, and oregano. It wasn’t necessarily my favourite thing to eat…but the flavour is interesting considering that fish doesn’t seem to be a common ingredient on pizza.
8. Involtini di Pesce Spada
Involtini di pesce spada are swordfish rolls. They are covered in caper and garlic flavoured breadcrumbs. So tasty!
9. Frutta Martorana
Don’t let your eyes deceive you! These are not plastic fruit and vegetables. Frutta Martorana are actually sweets made from marzipan. They are popular for the day of the dead festival which takes place annually on 2nd November.
10. Granita con Brioche
Granita con brioche is another popular Sicilian breakfast. This is ice that has been flavoured with sugar and fresh fruit juice or nuts. It’s commonly served with a brioche bun when eaten for breakfast. It tastes 10 times better than it looks, and this pretty much saved me from getting heatstroke from the sun.
11. Pasta alla Norma
Pasta alla norma is a famous Sicilian dish you can find in many countries. It’s pasta with aubergines and tomato sauce.
12. Cassata
Cassata is a very interesting Sicilian dessert. This green marzipan covered pastry is filled with all sorts of things such as fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips.
13. Sarde a beccafico & Bruschetta
I ate these two for lunch whilst in a small town. Something I’ve noticed about Sicily is that you get the best food in small towns. The food in big cities really isn’t that great. Anyway…pictured above is bruschetta which does not originate from Sicily, but it’s popular Italian starter worldwide. Sarde a beccafico are like sardine rolls stuffed with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins and herbs. Delicious!
14. Gelato con Brioche
Can you believe that this is actually a Sicilian breakfast? yes gelato con brioche is icecream in a brioche bun, and commonly eaten in the morning. So I decided to do what the locals do and eat this for breakfast one morning. I have to say the strawberry and mango flavours went well together.
I hope you now have some inspiration on food to eat in Sicily. This trip was amazing and I am definitely going back! Sicily is a big island so I only got to see the north and west sides for 7 days. Next time I want to visit the east and south sides of the island.
Gelato for breakfast? Uh ok!! Actually, all of this is screaming EAT ME. Except the marzapan. Not a fan. An acquired taste I just don’t have. Otherwise, I would happily eat ALL of the food in Sicily!
The gelato for breakfast was definitely a culture shock! But it was also nearly 40 degrees celcius outside…so it really made sense.
While I have eaten many of these things, I’m sure that the authentic in Sicily is better. I know my husbands favourite is frutta martorana although I had a cassata in Rome and would love to have another.
This has made me so hungry! It all sounds amazing!
I just had to read this post. We are headed to Sicily in September and this look at food will just feed my anticipation. Great to know we will need to check out the street food. And who can go to Sicily and not check out a cannoli or two. As seafood lovers we will have to try swordfish for the first time.
YUM!! I’ve had some of these outside of Italy like Arancini and cannolis but I’d love to try them in Sicily!
You got me at food and Sicily! They have some of the best foods and ice cream and I love the pistachio pesto!
Ooooh, you captured my attention with the title! Everything you’ve captured looks and sound amazing. The Cannoli and marzipan Frutta Martorana would be a heavenly treat.
Oh, I love Italian food. I haven’t been to Sicily yet, but I’ve tried so much delicious Italian food in other places in Italy. A brioche with gelato sounds delicious.
That cannoli looks amazing!! And gelato for breakfast?! I have never heard of such a thing, but it sounds amazing!!
I’m there! I love discovering food of a country. It’s the best way to discover the culture and immerse yourself.