13 Sicilian Foods You Need to Try

When you think of Italian food, most people picture a plate of pasta, a pizza, or maybe even some fancy cannoli or gelato.

On a recent trip to Sicily, we learned a lot about the Sicilian food culture and life in Southern Italy.

The trip definitely ended up becoming a culinary adventure! As with every place we travel to, we try to sample a variety of local delicacies and street food.

So aside from all of our Italian favourites, we also chowed down on some unique and notable Sicilian delicacies.

Appetizers and Main Courses

These Sicilian street foods can be found in many restaurants and street vendor carts, but most will also be served in peoples’ homes!

1. “American” Pizza

During our trip to Italy, Hubby’s family threw us an incredible pizza party. We were pretty surprised when all the “under 16” crowd at the restaurant ordered “American” pizza.

American pizza, as it turns out, is what childhood dreams are made of! Picture a pizza covered in the usual cheese and tomato sauce, but topped with French fries and cut-up hot dogs!

Definitely not my idea of gourmet, but the kids loved it! And here Hubby thought that pineapple on pizza was an outrage! Ha!

2. Arancini

Definitely one of my favourite Sicilian foods, these fried rice balls are absolutely delicious! Hidden inside an Arancini, you might find anything from meat ragu to mozzarella cheese, peas or even mushrooms.

Put it this way, I haven’t met an Arancini I didn’t like!

German Christmas Market Foods - Arancini

3. Pasta alla Norma

A very popular pasta dish from eastern Sicily is Pasta alla Norma. This pasta entrée is pretty filling! Made with fried eggplant, tomatoes, basil, and ricotta, the kids absolutely loved it!

We actually tried it in a couple of different restaurants. The taste of this Sicilian specialty food was slightly different in each but always tasty!

4. Sea Urchin

Hubby’s hometown of Castellammare del Golfo is a coastal town built around a marina. As a result, fresh seafood restaurants are a staple in the area.

Castellammare del Golfo - Sea Urchins decoratively placed on plate

Sea urchins are definitely one of the Sicilian specialties that are popular in Hubby’s hometown.

Served on the half-shell, you take a spoon and scoop out the small rows of flesh from the shell.

The texture was like pate, with a strong salty fish taste. I love seafood, but this Sicilian delicacy was definitely NOT a win for me.

Hubby was the only one who liked it, with a big thumbs down from the kids as well.

Castellammare - Daughter trying sea urchins at restaurant

5. Pasta allo Scoglio

Another dish we tried at Ristorante La Tonnara, is Pasta allo Scoglio, or seafood pasta.

Also called pasta ai frutti di mare, it is a typical southern Italian dish, that can be found in pretty much any coastal town.

This pasta entrée is made with either linguine or spaghetti and a combination of seafood and shellfish, usually coming from the fresh local catch of the day.

With the type of fresh fish varying from month to month, there are countless variations of this dish.

Castellammare del Golfo - Sicilian-Specialties-Scoglio

The most traditional Pasta allo Scoglio always includes clams, mussels, shrimp, and sometimes even squid (calamari). The pasta entrée is typically flavoured with white wine and garlic, and it can be prepared either with or without tomatoes.

This was definitely one of my favourite Sicilian specialties, so I ordered it as often as I could! The kids were hit and miss, depending on what seafood was included.

6. Panne Panelle e Crochè

While touring the city of Palermo, our family introduced us to the first of the city’s popular Sicilian street foods.

A deep-fried square fritter made of chickpea flour, Panelle is served either alone or on a bun (Panne Panelle).

Panelle is usually accompanied by potato croquettes (Crochè), which are served on the side or piled onto the bun.

Known as “poor man’s food”, these tasty bites could be found in restaurants as an appetizer, or on the carts of Sicilian street food vendors.

Panelle is definitely the best street food in Palermo, and was an absolute hit with our family!

We all preferred this delicious treat without the bun, and looked forward to sampling it as often as we could!

7. Pani Ca’ Meusa

The second Sicilian street food that we were introduced to in Palermo, did not go over so well with ANY of us.

Pani ca’ meusa is a dish made from veal spleen and lung which is steamed, sautéed in lard, and stuffed into a bun.

While it didn’t look too bad, it tasted like what it was – organ meat on a bun. Not good!

I was baffled by the young kids at the next table, gobbling it up as if it were gelato!

MUST be an acquired taste. It was a definite thumbs-down all around for our family.

Irresistible Sicilian Sweets and Drinks to Find on the Streets

These sweet Sicilian specialties can be found in bakeries, ice cream shops, and street vendors.

The varieties are incredible, and they all leave you wanting to come back for more!

8. Brioche con Gelato

What I refer to as “Our Happy Place”, Gelateria Vernaci is a quaint little ice-cream shop, situated in the Centre of Castellammare’s tourist area.

Aside from having the best gelato around, they also serve up a favourite Sicilian street food – gelato on a bun!

Yup… leave it to the Italians to find yet another food item to serve in sandwich form.

The soft brioche bun coupled with your choice of gelato is quite good if a little messy to eat.

Hubby and the kids loved this treat. And was it ever filling! As good as it tasted, I’ll take my gelato on a waffle cone please, and thanks!

9. Granita

The second of the Sicilian street foods that Vernaci serves up, is Granita. Originally from Sicily, a granita is a slush-like dessert, made from sugar, water, and flavourings.

Deee-licious! My favourite was Mandorla (almond). Think of an Italian almond cookie. Now think of that sweet nutty flavour set to a refreshing icy treat.

10. Café Latte Freddo

A Caffe Latte Freddo is an Italian iced latte that tends to be a bit thicker than what you may normally expect from a coffee shop latte. I would compare the consistency to a milkshake or smoothie.

This is definitely one of my favourite Sicilian specialties that we sampled. We absolutely loved them! And they were perfect on a hot Sicilian summer day!

11. Cassata Siciliana

Cassata is a sponge cake that is first soaked in liqueur. The cake is then filled with sweetened ricotta, and covered in almond paste (marzipan).

Lastly, the Cassata is iced and sprinkled with candied fruit, nuts or chocolate.

While quite delicious, we found the cake to be a little on the sweet side. This was not a problem for the kids, or for Hubby who just peeled back the marzipan layer!

12. Cannoli

This is one of the most recognizable Sicilian specialties. The cannolo, made of a fried dough crust filled with sweetened ricotta, takes its name from its long tubular shape.

They are then topped off with candied fruit, pistachios, or chocolate chips.

Can you believe that this delicious treat can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages? Holy Cannoli!!

Originating in Palermo, cannoli were historically prepared as a treat during Carnevale (Fat Tuesday) season, possibly as a fertility symbol.

Needless to say, we tried a few different varieties of this Sicilian specialty during our stay in Sicily, and all were delicious!

13. Frutta Martorana

Frutta Martorana are traditional Sicilian sweets made from marzipan and shaped to resemble fruits or vegetables.

These treats, which are realistically coloured with vegetable dyes, can be found throughout the Palermo and Messina areas of Sicily.

Frutta Martorana is said to have originated in Palermo, in the Martorana monastery. Here, as the story goes, the nuns made the treats with a combination of almonds and sugar.

They were then shaped like fruits and used to decorate the barren trees in their courtyard. This was all done in order to impress a visiting archbishop!

Nowadays, Frutta Martorana can be found at most pastry shops in Palermo. They are especially popular on All Saints Day when it is tradition to leave the treats by children’s bedsides as a gift.

Definitely one of the prettiest of the Sicilian specialties on our list, they are also one of the sweetest. And you can expect to pay more for one of these treats than you would for a pastry.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it… the scoop on our culinary adventure through Italy. You now know about some of the tastier Sicilian dishes, as well as some foods that you may not be too keen to try!

Of course, there are sooo many more foods we want to sample! It just means we will have to go back again and again!

Which of the items on the list sounded good to you? Or better yet… which ones are you craving right now??