Whenever I’m really hungry and need something quick to eat, arancina is always my lifesaver. The first time I tried this Sicilian classic was in Catania, where it’s masculine — arancino. Palermitans, however, believe that everything beautiful should be feminine. That’s why here in Palermo it’s arancina. In souvenir shops you’ll even find T-shirts with Palermo and Catania arancine “at war” with each other. They even have different shapes, and yes, there are legends explaining that too. One says that arancina comes from the word arancia (orange), so in Palermo it’s round. In Catania you’ll find the same arancino shaped like a cone, said to resemble Mount Etna.
Even in Catania, when I bought my very first one, my friend put on his glasses and said, “Show me what’s inside. I need to see if it’s a proper arancino.” So what exactly is it, and what makes it “proper”? An arancina is a fried rice ball filled with meat ragù. The outside is tightly coated in breadcrumbs to help it keep its shape. A proper arancina is basically a complete little lunch rolled into a ball — rice with ragù. And of course, the ragù should be saucy enough to keep the rice moist. They say the dish first appeared during the Arab period, as a convenient way to eat rice with ragù.The breadcrumbs, however, were supposedly added later, during the reign of one of the Kings of Sicily, to make the rice balls easier to carry on hunting trips. Though perhaps that’s just another legend.
You’ll find dozens of different arancine advertised in bars across Palermo. But traditionally there are only two. Al ragù, the one I’ve already described, and al burro, filled with mozzarella and cheese instead of ragù. I think it’s worth trying both before deciding which one you like better. It’s not exactly a rule, but whenever I have the choice, I get my arancine from Friggitoria Chiluzzo, Gangi, or Porta Carbone. Prices usually range from €1.50 to €2.50.
If you happen to be in Palermo on 13 December, the Feast of Saint Lucy, you’ll discover it’s the one day when we don’t eat bread or foods made with flour — it’s Arancina Day. Back in the 17th century, Palermo suffered through a terrible drought and famine. People prayed to Saint Lucy, and on her feast day a ship loaded with wheat finally arrived in the city’s port. The people were so hungry that they couldn’t wait for the grain to be turned into flour. They simply boiled the wheat as soon as it was unloaded from the ship. Since then, on that day, people eat desserts made from whole wheat and, of course, arancine, because rice is also a whole grain. No flour allowed!