What are all the best foods to eat while in Sicily? A better question might be, is it possible to narrow down all the delicious and delectable food to indulge in on your next Sicilian holiday?
Each region of Italy has distinct foods and flavors, influenced by the geography, climate, agriculture and history of the area. Sicily has a unique history in that it has been ruled by a myriad of invaders, conquerors and empires over the centuries, each one leaving remnants of their culture, architecture, and of course, FOOD!
If you love sampling regional cuisine when you travel and you’re planning a trip to Sicily, then this article is for you! Unique pasta dishes, decadent sweets, and a killer street food scene await you and your appetite, so let’s get to the list of all the best Sicilian food to be found on Italy’s tantalizing southernmost island!
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1. Pastries & Sweets
Tuscany has its wine and Naples has its pizza, but Sicily takes the cake when it comes to sweets. Ricotta-filled cannoli, soft and chewy almond cookies, and cakes that will send your sweet tooth to new heights! Sicilians say “no grazie” to savory breakfast foods. Instead, take your pick of a flaky cornetto (croissant) filled with cream, chocolate or jam, ciambella fritta (fried donut), sfingi (deep-fried dough balls filled with ricotta), treccia (braided pastry) or bombolone (cream or nutella filled donut), just to name a few. Don't forget to order the perfect Italian coffee to go with your breakfast pastry!
Every religious holiday and local celebration in Sicily has specialty sweets and treats made in their honor, the list of which could fill an entire article all on its own. Sweets are just embedded into the culture here. If you’re invited to someone’s house, whether it’s a party or just for a visit, make sure you show up with a plate of sweets bought from the local Pasticceria. They’ll even wrap it up for you like it’s a work of art! If this tickles your sweet tooth, check out my list of all the best desserts made in Sicily!
2. Granita
Speaking of sweets, granita is a uniquely Sicilian treat that is an absolute must-try. In fact, I highly recommend eating it at least once a day on any trip to Sicily! Granita is semi-frozen, usually dairy-free, and flavored with sugar and natural syrups or juices. It may look like gelato, but don’t be fooled - it is not the same! And please don’t buy anything labeled “granita” that is churning around in a machine. You’ll find the best granita at a bar, cafe, or gelateria, where they scoop it out like ice cream and serve it Sicilian style with a brioche pastry. And yes, you’re allowed to eat it for breakfast!
3. Pane Cunzato
Pane Cunzato is a traditional Sicilian meal made from thick-crusted, circular-shaped bread, seasoned and piled high with local toppings. Historically called ‘cucina povera’ (food of the poor), Pane Cunzato (or Pani Cunzatu in Sicilian) is basically an entire meal inside a crusty loaf of bread.
Also known as ‘pane della disgrazia’ (bread of disgrace), this is a true “slice” of Sicilian history. When families couldn’t afford more expensive meal ingredients, Pane Cunzato was made with any available herbs, condiments and seasonal products they could find. Traditional recipes vary throughout Sicily to reflect the typical flavors and products from each area, but modern takes on the dish now include more sought-after ingredients.
4. Anything made with Lemons
Sicilian lemons come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small and round to big and bumpy. They are known for their high juice content and intensely flavored zest, both of which are used to create desserts and pastries, as well as for flavoring gelato, granita, and of course, limoncello! Some of the most delicious lemon desserts you should try in Sicily are: Torta al Limone (lemon tart), Crema di Limone (lemon cream), Delizia al Limone (lemon delight), and an extra-special version of lemon granita called Granita al Limone, in which the granita is served in a frozen lemon shell. For everything you ever wanted to know about Sicilian lemons, check this out!
5. Tavola Calda
Tavola Calda is the Italian version of fast food. There are typically no restaurants in Italy where you drive up to order, so this is going to be the fastest meal service you’ll find. The phrase Tavola Calda translates literally to “hot table”, and refers to small cafes that serve pre-made foods cafeteria style. The distinction between this and American fast food, other than not having a drive-thru window, is that most Tavola Calda is still cooked fresh every day!
Cafes that serve Tavola Calda usually do not have table service, meaning you order food at a counter and then either carry it to your table or take it on the go. Options usually include a seasonal selection of meat, vegetable and pasta dishes that are served on plates, and a variety of foods that can be eaten on site or taken away. Arancini (see #6) are always a popular choice, as well as baked or deep fried calzone-type foods such as cartocciata, cipollina, or anything that involves putting hot dogs and french fries inside bread or even on top of pizza!
6. Arancini
While Arancini are technically a type of Tavola Calda, they deserve their own category because they are so yummy! These savory stuffed rice balls have a long history, as they were originally created during the Arabic rule of Sicily between the 9th and 11th centuries. While they come with a variety of fillings, Arancini are traditionally filled with either beef with Ragu sauce or ham with butter sauce, then coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried.
It’s important to note that in the western half of Sicily they are called Arancina (plural Arancine) and typically have a round shape, while in the east they are called Arancino (plural Arancini) and have a cone shape, which like many things here are modeled after Mount Etna. It can be dicey to call them the wrong thing, as I once witnessed a heated argument between a man from Catania and a man from Palermo that ended up with one man insulting the other’s masculinity. Regardless of how you say it, there is no question as to how absolutely scrumptious these little deep fried rice balls are!
7. Pistachios
Some of the best pistachios in the world are grown in Sicily, on the southern slopes of Mt. Etna near the small town of Bronte. Here, there is a centuries-old history of the culinary use of pistachios, which are used in an astonishing variety of both savory and sweet dishes. Some of the best pistachio desserts are gelato, granita, and anything made with Crema di Pistacchio, nicknamed the Green Gold of Sicily, which is found in a variety of pastries, cookies, cakes, and tarts. My favorite Sicilian pasta dish is Pasta al Pistacchio, made with thick or wide pasta that is topped with rich and creamy pistachio sauce, pecorino cheese, and pancetta. You'll notice the spelling "pistacchio" in Italy, which is pronounced with a hard "c".
8. Eggplant
Many of the best foods in Italy are made with regional or locally-grown products, and Sicily is no exception. Eggplant, known as melanzane in Italian, was another product brought to Sicily during the time of Arabic rule. Over the centuries, it has become a staple of Sicilian cuisine.
One of the most popular and delicious eggplant-based dishes in Sicily is Pasta alla Norma. Originating in Catania, this dish combines pasta with eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta salata (savory ricotta cheese). Parmigiana is a traditional Sicilian dish made by layering fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese, then baking it. Finally, Caponata is a vegetable dish made with eggplant, onion, celery and tomato sauteed in a sweet, tangy sauce, then served at room temperature. Most Sicilians will tell you that authentic Caponata recipes also include olives, capers, raisins and pine nuts.
9. Pizza Siciliana
Don’t confuse this delicious deep-fried slice of heaven with “sfincione”, a street food made out of thick, square, focaccia-like crust. No offense to sfincione, but Pizza Siciliana is so good it will have you booking a trip back to Sicily just to eat more of it! Originating in the town of Zafferana Etnea on the eastern slopes of Mt. Etna, Pizza Siciliana is Sicily’s deep-fried answer to a calzone. This hot, chewy, greasy pocket of perfection is made from a soft dough stuffed with a variety of local ingredients and Tuma cheese from the Nebrodi mountains. For where to find this and all the best things to do on Mt. Etna, check this out!
10. Fresh Seafood
Sicily has over 900 miles of coastline, dotted with charming seaside villages, sleepy beach towns, bustling harbors, and stunning cliffside cities - variety enough to suit anyone’s taste. Speaking of taste, let’s talk about the scrumptious seafood Sicily has to offer. Take your pick or try them all: calamari fritti (fried squid), pasta al nero di seppia (pasta with black cuttlefish ink), fritto misto di mare (fried mixed seafood), insalata di polpo (octopus salad), pasta allo scoglio (pasta with mixed seafood), and fish so fresh they still have their heads and eyeballs intact!
You can find amazing seafood in any of Sicily’s seaside towns; however, one of the best ways to try Sicilian seafood is by visiting Catania’s daily fish market. Explore the stalls, take in the smells (or not), and witness fish heads being chopped off before your eyes. Buy your choice of seafood and cook it yourself, sample products from the street vendors, or eat at one of the many restaurants near the market. My favorite is Scirocco Sicilian Fish Lab, a walk-up restaurant alongside the fish market. They make the best calamari I’ve ever eaten, in addition to many other unique and delicious local seafood dishes, all served up in traditional paper cones.
Bonus - seasonal products and food festivals
This list is not all inclusive and does not account for all the amazing fruits, vegetables and specialty foods you’ll find at local markets, festivals and celebrations, which are too numerous to count; however, I highly recommend visiting a daily market no matter where you visit in Sicily, to try seasonal products and local delicacies.
If you plan your trip to Sicily to coincide with a local festival, it will seriously take your experience to the next level! Some of the most famous sagre (food festivals) are the Pistachio Festival in Bronte, Cannolo Festival in Piana degli Albanesi, CousCous Fest in San Vito Lo Capo, and the festival of Ottobrata in Zafferana Etnea, a weekend dedicated to apples, mushrooms, honey and chestnuts. There are also festivals dedicated to almond blossoms, lemons, blood oranges, prickly pears, strawberries, artichokes, and a variety of cheeses and seafood! You could name almost any food found in Sicily and most likely find a festival that celebrates it.
Last but not least, this list would not be complete without mentioning Vendemmia (local wine harvest celebrations), Carnevale (most notably celebrated in Acireale), Catania’s Feast of St. Agatha (dedicated to the city’s patron saint), and the Torneo del Maiorchino (Tournament of Maiorchino) in the town of Novara di Sicilia, where they hold a yearly competition that involves rolling large wheels of aged pecorino cheese called "Maiorchino" through the town's narrow streets.
If you enjoyed this culinary journey across Sicily, drop me a comment below!
Check out some of the other articles on my European Destinations page or read more about my Sicilian adventures below!
Excellent article! Very informative with beautiful photos!