Ready to dive into the pastries and desserts Sicilian tradition? Sicilian pastries are true masterpieces of flavor and history, telling the cultural origins of an island rich in unique tastes. From the colorful cassata to the famous, and the refreshing granita, every dessert embodies the aromas and centuries-old traditions of Sicily.
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Discover the typical Sicilian Pastries
Living in Sicily is not only diving into the crystal clear waters, the many beaches of fine sand: understanding the origins of Sicilian and baroque culture is above all a journey through the thousand scents of pastries, true pillar of all the gastronomic tradition of our island.
Sicilian Cassata
The most famous, along with cannoli, of the island’s desserts. “Tintu è cu nun mancia a cassata a matina ri Pasqua” (“The Needy who does not eat cassata on Easter morning”), It is an ancient saying of the island. And, in fact, whether it is at Easter or Christmas, from Trapani to Syracuse, how to say no to this extraordinary and baroque triumph of sweetness?
This famous Sicilian ricotta cake is a real triumph of taste, with sponge cake, ricotta cream and martorana fruit. When it comes to the table, it’s always a party. It is prepared throughout the year, but is particularly appreciated on special occasions such as Easter.
The colourful variant known today to the general public is the result of an evolution continued in Norman times with the invention, at the convent of Martorana in Palermo, of the royal pasta (or pasta martorana), based on almond flour.
Sicilian Cannoli
If the cassata is the queen of Sicilian pastry, the Sicilian cannoli are certainly the kings of what, in the world, is considered one of the richest, most varied and tasty kitchens ever.
Like many Sicilian recipes, from the Sicilian arancini to cassata, passing for focacce, sfincioni, pasta alla Norma, even cannoli meet numerous local variations: the dessert (that history wants to be born in Caltanissetta during the Arab domination) is traditionally composed of a rind and a cream based on sheep’s ricotta, but really the variations are endless. The zest (scallop or scuoccia in siciliano) is a fried waffle and can be more or less dark, depending on whether it contains cocoa or coffee powder or not. In Messina, for example, the peel is very clear, because it is made without cocoa or coffee.
The filling is made with SHEEP RICOTTA (some use the ricotta vaccina when that of sheep is not available) and sugar: the ricotta cream can be enriched with pieces of candied fruit (orange or zuccata) or with a little cinnamon (I do not put it), even if now you can find cannoli filled with chocolate cream, pistachio cream, custard. The outside of the Sicilian cannoli, which were originally prepared for Carnival, is garnished with powdered sugar on the peel and candied orange or cherries or hazelnuts, chopped pistachios or dark chocolate flakes on ricotta.
Sicilian Granita
Everyone makes an excessive use of it during the summer, but perhaps not everyone knows its history.
It is one of the favorite dessert when temperatures are very high, from Sicilians and not, a dessert that varies according to the city in which it is created, which colors many different shades. From the delicious pistachio with cream to the more sober lemon, from chocolate to the more traditional almonds, from Mandarin to black mulberries of Etna: I’m talking about the Sicilian granita.
Everyone eats it, but who knows its origins?
Granita is the result of a centuries-old tradition, it contains the heart of the flavors of Sicily and crosses for more than a millennium the gastronomic culture of the island. Let’s take a dip in the distant Saracen past.
Very common today, especially in the area of eastern Sicily, the true homeland of granita, are the pistachio flavors of Bronte, almond, coffee, chocolate and fruit: black mulberry, peach, strawberry, tangerine, cherry, lemon and fig.
The origins of Sicilian granita
The origin of granita dates back to the period of Arab domination in Sicily, the ninth century. The oldest ancestor of granita is sharbat, in Persian, or sherbet, in Turkish, terms that derive from the Arabic sharba, ‘drink’.
Sharbat is a drink typical of the Middle East and South Asia, which should be served cold, flavored with fruit and flower petals. The drink also gives its name to the Sherbeth Festival, the international festival of artisanal ice cream that was born in 2007 in Sicily.
From the Arab ancestor, the recipe evolved over the centuries, also thanks to ”nivaroli”, the men who, during the winter season, in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, were busy collecting snow on Etna, on the Iblei mountains and other Sicilian mountains, Keeping it inside the snow, natural caves or specially built, then use it in the hot season, with the intention of cooling food and drinks. The drinks were stored in jugs placed in shady places, so as to maintain their refreshing properties. Presumably since the Middle Ages, ‘nivaroli’ during the summer were selling the ice they had accumulated in the caves, a kind of ante litteram glove.
Thus was born ”arattata‘, the youngest ancestor of Sicilian granita: the ice mass was ”grated’ and seasoned with honey and lemon.
Even today, on some mountains, you can find the remains of the holes used for ice storage, in some cases finished with stones and bricks. The shape of the snowflakes was not everywhere the same, but it changed according to the territory.
Over time, especially in the 19th century, snow was replaced by water, honey by sugar and snowflakes, ‘nivaroli’ and the well were supplanted by the freezer and ice cream maker. The result is the granita as we know it today, one of the most famous and loved typical desserts of the Sicilian tradition, with its unmistakable creamy texture.
What are you waiting for? Try the typical Sicilian pastries and desserts
Now that you know the secrets and stories behind the Sicilian pastries and desserts, you just have to taste them! Imagine waking up in a beautiful villa or in a cozy apartment immersed in the beauty of Sicily, then start your day with a breakfast of fresh cannoli, cassata and almond granita.
Booking one of our villas and apartments in Sicily, you can enjoy an unforgettable stay, immersed in the scents and authentic flavors of the island. It will be the perfect opportunity to discover not only desserts, but also the extraordinary Sicilian gastronomic tradition.
