{"id":3952,"date":"2023-06-13T13:27:27","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T13:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wishsicily.com\/blog\/?p=3952"},"modified":"2026-04-01T13:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T11:14:20","slug":"how-to-eat-like-a-local-in-sicily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wishsicily.com\/blog\/how-to-eat-like-a-local-in-sicily\/","title":{"rendered":"How to eat like a local in Sicily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everything you need to know about Sicilian street food and traditional cuisine<\/h1>\n

So how much do you know about Sicilian food<\/a>? You wouldn\u2019t be alone in assuming that it probably isn\u2019t that different from that of the rest of Italy and, to a certain extent, you\u2019re right. Think fruit and vegetables bursting with flavour, and a healthy dose of olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish \u2013 in essence, the classic Mediterranean diet. And, in common with mainland Italy, a rigorous commitment to using seasonal, locally grown produce.<\/p>\n

However, if you\u2019ve stayed any length of time in Italy, you\u2019ll know that every region has its own local traditions and specialities, and this is particularly noticeable in Sicily where the cuisine has been influenced by everyone from Greeks and Arabs to the French and Spanish.<\/strong> All of which comes together in one delicious melting pot, with culinary quirks that include couscous loaded dishes in the west of the island, and street food stalls in Palermo piled high with snacks that were brought to the city by the Greeks and Arabs.<\/p>\n

Bite into sun-ripened fruit and vegetables<\/strong><\/h2>\n

During the warmer months in Sicily, you\u2019ll find market stalls piled high with glossy aubergines, olives, and capers, and tomatoes that smell and taste of summer. When combined, the four (together with a smattering of onions and celery) form the basis for Sicily\u2019s traditional \u2018caponata<\/em>\u2019. You\u2019ll also find bundles of fresh rosemary, mint and oregano, and sun-drenched silky peaches and nectarines. As the summer draws to a close, freshly picked syrupy-sweet figs are used for cakes and tarts and provide the perfect accompaniment to creamy ricotta.<\/p>\n

\"Sicilian<\/a>
Sicilian caponata with aubergines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sicily\u2019s most famous pasta dishes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Two of Sicily\u2019s pasta dishes stand out for their deliciousness! The first is pasta con le sarde<\/em>, a dish of bucatini <\/em>(a spaghetti-like pasta with a hole running through the centre), topped with wild fennel and sardines, pine nuts, raisins, toasted almonds and saffron.<\/p>\n

Staying in a villa near Catania<\/a>? You\u2019ll find pasta alla Norma<\/em> on every restaurant menu. This first course pasta dish was created as a tribute to composer Bellini\u2019s Norma opera. The dish is usually made with rigatoni, <\/em>combined with tomatoes, fried aubergines, garlic, fresh basil and a grating of salted ricotta.<\/p>\n

\"Pasta<\/a>
Pasta con le sarde<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Browse the market stalls<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Part of the pleasure of staying in a villa in Sicily<\/a> is the freedom of self-catering. With time on your hands and an array of fresh produce that you may not normally have access to, shopping for ingredients and producing meals takes on a quite different perspective.<\/strong> Head to the local market to browse cheese tables heaped with chunks of caviocavallo <\/em>and warm ricotta with honey and pistachio. You\u2019ll also find baskets of olives, toasted nuts, dried fruit and capers and in some places, baskets of babbalucci and crastuna\u00a0<\/em>(snails). For anyone staying in one of our apartments in Syracuse<\/a>, the Mercato di Ortigia is a great place to stock up on provisions or pick a few gifts or treats to take home. Open every day except Sunday, the colourful market offers a tantalising array of fish, fruit, vegetables, and cheese stalls.<\/p>\n

\"Sicilian<\/a>
Sicilian Crastuna<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fish dishes in Sicily<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Given the abundance of fish in the seas that surround the island, you won\u2019t be surprised to learn that fish features heavily on Sicilian menus. In the west of the island, fish couscous is a traditional dish from Trapani, and the town\u2019s fish market, the Mercato del Pesce is well worth a visit for guests at Case Fil.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Case<\/a>
Case Fil near Trapani<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout the island, you\u2019ll find dishes of sea urchins (ricci<\/em>) with pasta, mussels and clams with spaghetti, boiled octopus and sword fish prepared in several different ways \u2013 rolled into involtini<\/em>, or Messina-style, where it is simply cooked with olives, capers, garlic, tomatoes and pine nuts. Squid is also popular, stuffed with capers, anchovies, breadcrumbs, and olives.<\/p>\n

\"Ricci<\/a>
Ricci Sicilian Sea urchins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u2019t miss the street food<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For a full flavour of Sicily, make tracks for the street food<\/a> in Ballar\u00f2 market in Palermo where some snacks may appeal more than others. Pani c\u00e2 meusa<\/em> (bread crammed with boiled and fried calf spleen and lung) and stigghiola <\/em>(grilled veal, lamb, or goat intestines) may not be to everyone\u2019s taste but the mere smell of some of the fried items is enough to whet anyone\u2019s appetite. Fancy a sesame roll stuffed with potato croquettes and chickpea fritters (panino con panelle e crocch<\/em>\u00e8<\/em>)?<\/p>\n

\"Panelle<\/a>
Panelle e Crocch\u00e8<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or perhaps an \u2018arancino<\/em>\u2019? \u00a0These deep-fried rice balls, usually crammed with tomato sauce, peas and meat, or with ham and cheese, are a staple of Sicilian cuisine, said to have started in around the 9th<\/sup> century with the Arabs.<\/p>\n

\"Sicilian<\/a>
Sicilian Stigghiola<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finish with a sweet treat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One thing\u2019s for sure \u2013 if you have a sweet tooth, you\u2019re going to love Sicilian desserts! You won\u2019t find much variety, but what you will find is a passion for the locally grown ingredients of almonds, pistachios and lemons which find their way into most desserts. Sicilian cannoli<\/em> are perhaps the best known, a tube-shaped fried pastry casing filled with whipped ricotta with a little sugar and lemon. Equally popular is cassata, <\/em>layers of liqueur dipped sponge sandwiched between fresh ricotta studded with chocolate chips and covered by a marzipan casing, green icing, and a scattering of candied fruit.<\/p>\n

\"Traditional<\/a>
Traditional cannoli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What about gelato?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gelato and granita are quite simply a part of everyday life in Sicily. So much so that during the warmer months, they are often the first meal of the day! Yes, it\u2019s true \u2013 some Sicilians start the day with a buttery brioche oozing with gelato, or a granita (often coffee, lemon or strawberry flavoured) served with a warm brioche for dunking.<\/p>\n