In Sicily you don’t mess with food because it’s venerated and considered like a divinity. Sicilian recipes are endless and change from place to place, as each one has its typical dishes, both sweet and savory, and its variations. While these do not create confusion among the inhabitants of the island, the same cannot be said of the historic dispute between arancino and arancina. 

There isn’t a living soul on earth (perhaps in the entire universe) who is not afraid to pronounce this word in front of a Sicilian person. 

The reason for the dispute between arancino or arancina? Sicilians have always been in opposition to the name of this typical product. 

Today we want to help you to prevent this from happening and make you taste one of the best Sicilian typical products in serenity! xD 

But let’s reveal the mystery: arancino or arancina? 

The Sicilian culture, even the culinary one, is the result of centuries of foreign domination, including the Arabs. It was probably them who invented this tasty rice timbale, giving it the shape of an orange. 
The Arabs, in fact, used to give the dishes the name of the fruits to which they could be assimilated in shape and size.

The result? A very tasty rice timbale, very seasoned, with a crunchy crust on the outside and a stringy heart inside, which was associated with an orange.

From this story it can be easily deduced that the right word is just arancina. But no, dear Insideaters!

A few years ago the Accademia della Crusca had to intervene, according to which the exact name is arancino, with an explanation: the name derives from the Sicilian word “aranciu“, with which the orange is called, from which the diminutive arancino was then extrapolated. 

However, the masculine name today is used only in Eastern Sicily, therefore in the areas of Catania, Messina, Syracuse, Ragusa and Enna; in Western Sicily, that is Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento, on the other hand, if you enter a rotisserie remember not to make a mistake: there it’s arancina!

But, we are convinced of one thing: whatever you want to call it, arancino or arancina, it is one of the best street foods in the world. The classic versions of arancino or arancina, prepared throughout Sicily, are with meat sauce with a stringy heart and with butter, with béchamel and ham. On the other hand, the variants of Bronte pistachio, squid ink, salmon, lemon, standard and many others are becoming more and more popular, all delicious and absolutely worth trying!

So, if you are in Sicily you cannot fail to taste these delicacies.
And if you also want to make them with the help of a true Sicilian grandmother, book now our cooking class on Street food siciliano , to learn this and many other delicious recipes (Find out which ones qui!).

What are you waiting for?

Discover many other cooking classes on www.insideat.eu and choose the one that suits you! We are waiting for you!

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