Most Famous Foods in Sicily
There are so many famous foods in Sicily you really have to try while there. Don’t think because you’ve had Italian food that you have experienced Sicilian food. It really is a world of its own. I was determined to taste as many of these dishes as I could, and I think I did a pretty good job!
From Cicchetti to grilled sardines, my favorite way to go is usually small bites. Eating little bites of everything is how I usually eat in order to experience the local lifestyle.
Where Is Sicily Italy
Sicily is an island found off the coast of southern Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. Connected to the “boot” of Italy by a bridge, the island is accessible by car, train, boat, or plane. To get from Rome to Sicily, it takes about an hour.
Because of its ideal location along Mediterranean sea routes, it has been an island that has changed hands many times. Throughout its history, Spanish, Arab, British, Greek, Roman, Phoenician, and Norman settlers have called this island home. This diverse blending of people creates a unique environment for culture, architecture, history, and, of course, food.
Why We Love The Food in Sicily
One of my favorite things about Italy, and really all of Europe, is the food is so fresh. The climate in Sicily is the perfect place for high-quality Mediterranean foods to be grown. The result is foods that are flavorful, fresh, and delicious.
We saw so many open-air markets, and I wanted to bring home much of what I saw! Do keep in mind when you’re traveling that you won’t be able to bring back bags that are simply knotted as you see below. You’ll need to purchase only sealed spices and other ingredients to bring them back into the United States.
Add to that the easy access to seafood – one of the benefits of being on an island – and you’ve got an amazing combination for incredible food.
Local vineyards also mean amazing wine pairings with food. So, whether you’re looking for a quick bite over drinks or a hearty meal, you’ll find all sorts of amazing options for food in Sicily. And speaking of wine, I ordered the house red everywhere. Though I did look at wine lists out of curiosity, our guide through Exodus Adventure Travels always suggested the house wine, and it was always incredible.
If you’re not an adventurous eater, you’ll find Sicily has a lot of dishes with familiar flavors. On the other hand, there are also unique preparations for different dishes, meaning that the globe-trotting foodie will also find something to enjoy.
For the quality of food, the prices at a Sicilian restaurant aren’t outrageous and may be comparable to what you’d spend at home. Because the portion sizes are reasonable, you can easily try a variety of foods. Just make sure to save room for dessert!
Most Famous Food in Sicily
Sicilian food benefits greatly from its history where many different cultures have occupied the island at different times. This makes a melting pot of flavors. Italian influence is strong, but so are influences from the Greeks, Spanish, Arabs, Normans, and more.
Some of the main crops that you’ll see of Sicilian food include citrus fruits (oranges and lemons), olives, aubergines (eggplants), tomatoes, almonds, and pistachios. And of course, grapes are well represented on the island, especially when made into those strong and robust Sicilian wines, like Marsala and Nero d’avola.
Looking for specific recommendations? Here are some of the best of the famous foods in Sicily to try.
Light Bites and Sandwiches
Cicchetti: Think of Cicchetti as Sicilian bar food. These tapas-size small plates are a great way to sample the flavors of Sicily. You may find seafood, breads, olives, vegetables, or more. This is one of the most popular of the famous foods in Sicily. You’ll see it in every guidebook.
Grab a glass of wine and sample a bunch for a snack or a light main meal. Although you can get these in restaurants, street vendors often sell cicchetti as well.
Caponata: In some ways, this is reminiscent of a salsa or relish, but with chopped aubergine, olive, celery, and capers. Many are flavored with just a dash of sweet balsamic vinegar, and some may have ingredients like pine nuts or raisins. It is often served at room temperature with some toasted ciabatta or other bread.
Arancini (or arancine): You may be familiar with these fried rice balls stuffed with meat or cheese from Italian cuisine. These balls of rice are little bits of heaven filled with gooey mozzarella cheese and a savory risotto. Arancini is often served with a form of tomato sauce for dipping.
Pani câ meusa: Yes, the name literally means bread with spleen, because that’s what it is. It is a specialty of Palermo, and yes – it actually is a well-loved delicacy. Veal spleen is boiled, fried, and placed on a soft sandwich roll. You can’t say you’ve truly sampled the local cuisine of Sicily unless you’ve given this traditional Sicilian dish a try! (it’s not my favorite, but I did try it!)
Involtini di pesce spada: This dish is made with swordfish that is thinly sliced and rolled with a filling of pine nuts, raisins, anchovy, bread crumbs, orange and lemon juice, egg, and grated pecorino cheese. Each bite packs a huge amount of flavor from these ingredients, and yet they blend together for the perfect savory bite.
Tonno e spada affumicata: Another dish with thinly sliced fish, but this time it is smoked tuna and swordfish. The thin slices are layered on a plate and served simply with some shaved fennel, a little orange, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a side of a good-quality crusty bread completes this dish.
Pane e panelle: Panelle are fritters made from chickpea flour. A favorite street food is fried chickpea fritters served on a sandwich roll with a sprinkle of lemon juice. It sounds simple, and it is, but it’s so delicious on the go!
Pizza: Of course, you want to experience authentic pizza in Sicily. I had the Margherita Di Biga, which begins with a fermented sourdough crust. It’s more like focaccia bread, topped with fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes. and fresh basil. Notice the key word here is fresh. It makes all the difference!
Grilled Sardines: Finally, the simplest savory dish on the list but one you must try … grilled sardines! My dad loved sardines, but like many people who have never traveled, the only variety he ever tasted was from a can. Sardines right off the grill (while overlooking the sea if possible) are one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!
Hearty Favorites
Busiate al Pesto Trapanese Garlic: This dish has its origin with the Trapani sailors who would eat this as a way to protect from scurvy. With the health benefits of the garlic, tomato, and basil in this dish, they might have been right! Mixed with a little busiate pasta, grated cheese, and olive oil, it, it’s so delicious!
Busiata pasta is a signature form from Sicily where dough is twisted around a wooden skewer to make spiral pasta shapes. I actually attended a cooking class in Agrigento where we learned how to make busieate.
When planning a trip, add this cooking class to your places to visit in Sicily.
Sfincione: This dish is the local form of pizza. It is a thicker bread than your typical pizza crust and is topped with tomatoes and onions and, sometimes, anchovies. Don’t let the thick bready crust fool you, it is a much lighter texture than you’d expect!
Pasta alla Norma: This hearty pasta dish blends a lot of flavor into each bite. Made with fried aubergine, tomatoes, and basil, the real secret to this dish is the ricotta salata cheese. Ricotta salata is a sheep’s milk cheese that is pressed, salted, and aged for 90 days or more.
This dish can be served with a thinner pasta like spaghetti, but the bold flavors stand up best to a thicker pasta, like rigatoni. We saw this in just about every restaurant. The night I finally decided to order it, the restaurant didn’t have it. Now I have to go back. (Gladly!)
Pasta with pistachio pesto: When you think of pesto, you may think of pine nuts and basil. Certainly, you can find that type of pesto in Sicily, but you can also find a version that uses pistachio instead of pine nuts.
It’s a unique and authentically Sicilian variation on a classic flavor. I have made pistacio pesto and might like it even more than pesto with pine nuts.
Pasta con le sarde: Sardines are plentiful in the waters around Sicily, and so you often see them as a topping on pasta. One pasta dish that you’ll often see is bucatini pasta topped with sardines, fennel, saffron, pine nuts, and raisins. This blend of sweet, salty, and savory is surprisingly good.
Sweet Finishes
Frutta Martorana: You may be familiar with this almond paste dessert under the name marzipan. In Sicily, however, the almond paste is shaped into tiny but very realistic fruits, giving it the name the fruits of Martora, or frutta martorana.
Cannoli: Most people are familiar with cannoli, the tubes of fridge dough filled with sweetened ricotta. If you haven’t, you can’t do better than sampling one in Sicily!
Cassata siciliana: Can’t decide between frutta martorana and cannoli? The cassata siciliana has a lot of the same flavors but in a cake form. This is a sponge cake that is soaked in liqueur, with slices layered with a sweet ricotta cheese filling. Then the whole cake is covered with almond paste and icing. Decorations of candied fruits make this dessert almost too pretty to eat.
Granita: The granita originated in Sicily, but now can be found all over Italy. This simple dessert is the perfect summer refreshment with crushed ice, fresh fruit, and sugar. It’s simple but perfect for a day out in the sun. For a really special and authentic pairing, add cream to a coffee granita and order it with a brioche bun.
Gelato: Yes, you can get great gelato all over Italy, but I thought the gelato we had at Gelateria La Kala was spectacular. With so many flavors and even more flavor combinations, you really need to visit once a day at minimum!
I hope you’re able to try all the famous foods in Sicily. I’m ready to go back and taste them all again!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sicilian cuisine spicy? Because of all the unique influences, traditional Sicilian food is no stranger to a variety of spices to give food flavor. Spices like basil, saffron, oregano, wild fennel, capers, and cinnamon are frequently used in dishes. But if you want to avoid fiery hot spice in your food, you should have no problems in Sicily. Hot peppers are not a key ingredient in Sicilian cooking.
Is Sicily good for vegetarians? Yes! Sicily has amazing options for vegetarian and even vegan food. Olive oil is more commonly used than butter, and many dishes can be made without meat. Beans and chickpeas are often used as protein sources. If you are a pescatarian, you’ll find even more options thanks to the abundance of fresh seafood.
Are menus in Sicily in English? In general, only restaurants that are frequented by the tourist crowds have English translation menus. Thankfully, a lot of the items on the menu in Italian may sound familiar enough for you to figure out what they are. If you are concerned, bring a small pocket translation book or look up items on your phone, or just ask the server. They will be more than happy to help you find the perfect dish for your palate.
Top Tips for Visiting
Tipping in Sicily. Like most parts of Europe, tipping is not required or expected in Sicily. You can leave some change or a small tip for exceptional service, but no one will look at you strangely if you don’t leave a tip at all.
Hours for restaurants. When making meal plans for the day, you’ll want to check the hours of restaurants before you settle on a time. Most restaurants close for the middle of the afternoon and many open later than the typical dinner hour for their evening service. In general, make sure to eat before about 2 or 3 PM, and don’t plan on dinner before about 7 or 8 PM.
What to wear for dinner. Going out to dinner in Sicily doesn’t have to be an over-the-top formal affair. For most places, think business casual with nice pants or a skirt, a button-up or polo shirt, and comfortable shoes. Depending on the time of year, evenings can be cool, so you may want to bring a jacket just in case.