Palermo - What to eat

There is no doubt that Sicilian typical food is one of the reasons why many people visit Sicily. Choosing what to eat in Sicily is really hard for the wide range of our island specialties. The amount of products available in all seasons and the long enogastronomic tradition that brings together influences from all over the Mediterranean and beyond have in fact created one of the best culinary offer in the world.

This is really difficult prepare a bucket list, but below we will try to suggest you the MUST of Palermo's food not to be missed:

Street Food's capital, Europe's first and fifth in the world, for its street food, Palermo is an indisputable destination for its cuisine heritage.

Sfincione, pani ca’ meusa (bread with spleen), bread with panelle and crocchè, pollanche (corn), trippa, quarume e last but not least Sfincione, pani ca’ meusa (bread with spleen), bread with panelle and crocchè, pollanche (corn), trippa, quarume e last but not least the famous arancine(Remember, Arancina is female, said the Academy of Crusca), are the classic Palermo street food.

Surely the places to find street food are the typical open markets like Ballarò, Vucciria, and the Capo. Entering these markets is flooded with strong, inviting, smell or delicate odors. Walking through the markets the aroma of the kitchen is present in every corner.

Typical Easter and Christmas cake in Palermo. Among Sicilian sweets, cassata is the best known, loved and exported around the world. What strikes most of this sweet, of course, taste is the opulent decoration that almost resembles the typical Sicilian baroque architecture. A beautiful and sweet masterpiece!

The Sicilian cannolo boasts very ancient origins, although sometimes controversial. According to a legend, which among other things is the most accredited, the birth of cannolo would have occurred at "Kalt El Nissa", today Caltanissetta, which during the very long Arab domination in Sicily was home to Numerous harem of saracen emirs. The original recipe includes filling with fresh sheep's ricotta. Ward off the imitations!

You can not miss a summer lunch or a rich snack with a brioche with ice cream, a must in the summer season of Palermo.

Anyway, across the island, you will find pastry shops with overcrowded banquets of these delights.

Neapolitans, Calabrian, Apulian, Emilian and Sicilian naturally claim their origins. The Kingdom of Sicily first and that of the two Sicilies later included all southern Italy and so it is no wonder if Naples and Palermo contend for the exclusivity of the recipe.

One of the most classic dishes of Palermo and Sicilian cuisine is this appetizer based on fried eggplant and seasoned with a tasty bittersweet sauce . The caponata has been included in the national list of traditional agri-food products.

Fried battered vegetables were imported into Sicily from the Arabs, probably influenced in turn by the Chinese, great pastry makers. Usually prepared vegetables in this way are served as an appetizer. Mostly, tops of broccoli, cloves of artichokes and cardi are used.

Baked Anelletti (Sicilian traditional Pasta) is one of the dishes that best identifies the gastronomic tradition of the city and is strongly linked to its saracen soul. It is a unique dish of laborious preparation that is usually reserved for holiday days but that, for ease of transport and for its characteristic being a single dish, is often prepared for picnic.

Beccafico sardines are a tasty second dish (or starter) of Sicilian origin. The origin of the name lies in the fact that the sardines, once served on the plate, take on the shape of the beaks. The beccafs are birds that were particularly appreciated by the Sicilian aristocrats and were placed in the dishes with the tail feathers facing up. A blend of flavors consisting of sardines, pine nuts, sultanas, onions, parsley and anchovies that is worth a try.

Once again, the local tradition dates back to the origins of this dish at the time of Arab domination. According to the legend, the recipe was invented by the chef following the Arab army which, during the Sicilian conquest campaign, only having pasta and sardines not very fresh, thought of dissimulating the smell using the fragrant wild fennel that grew wild In the countryside.

The octopus must be fresh and immersed in boiling water, and when it is tender, it is cut to pieces, to be tasted with plenty of lemon juice. A very simple dish, as you can see, often found on the seaside stalls and historic markets of Palermo.