Recipes from Mamma Pina

Arancini, the pride of the Sicilian kitchen, are fried rice balls filled with meat ragout and peas. They can also be filled with vegetables, such as mushrooms or eggplant.

Every Province in Sicily has its own delicious version of this popular appetizer. The origin of the word caponata is debated, along with the dish’s first appearance in

In ancient times, the flat bread, now known as focaccia, was baked in a family’s home. Later around the 14th Century, the first written recipes were associated with the mainland region of Liguria.

This pizza is often called rustic and simple when compared to other popular pizzas in Sicily.

Pizza is certainly one of the most popular foods in the world, and its popularity greatly increased when Italians emigrated to other countries. Even today following tradition, pizza appears as an appetizer on restaurant menus in Sicily.

This Sicilian salad appears on many restaurant menus on hot summer days. It is also served at the Feast of Seven Fishes dinner on Christmas Eve because it goes well with seafood.

Sfincione (most likely meaning “sponge”) pizza originated as a peasant food for field workers in the small town of Corleone in the Province of Palermo.