10 Sicilian Desserts that you must try once in your life!

Say what you want, but Sicilian desserts are definitely the best in the world! This has been recognised also by international newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, but I’m not just saying it because I’m Sicilian, or because I’ve been eating them all my life since I was a toddler, but simply because behind every dessert, whether it is high-end confectionery or a “poor” dessert, there is always a story to tell.

A lot of the ingredients that we use on the Sicilian Desserts came to us thanks to the previous dominations. As you know Sicily has been conquered by many different populations with different backgrounds. When it comes to the Sicilian Food there is always a whole world enclosed within every single bite; traditions handed down from generation to generation, from father to son, from grandmother to nephew; festive desserts, desserts associated with a particular moment, desserts to be consumed on Sunday after a family lunch.

Family, Culture and Tradition, those are the 3 main reasons why for me the Sicilian Desserts will always remain on top of every other dessert in the world.

Below you can find a list of some of the best and representative Sicilian Desserts of the island, those that should be tasted at least once in a lifetime, especially when you are traveling to Sicily, where the ingredients are fresh and you can taste the real deal.

Cannoli

The cannolo is the King of the Sicilian Patisserie, and it is indeed the most famous Sicilian Dessert around the world. Cannoli are a triumph of goodness, and in Sicily they are inevitable after a Sunday lunch.

A tender heart of ricotta wrapped in a crispy wafer, are the basis of this dessert which in various versions can be enriched with candied fruit, chocolate drops, flakes of pistachios. Delicious in any single way.

Cassata

If the Cannolo is the King, the Cassata is absolutely the Queen of the Sicilian Desserts. Elegant, richly decorated, with intense flavours, this is a dessert for true Sicilians, and it says “Sicily” from wherever your look at it. Cassata is also considered to be the cake of the most important holidays (Easter and Christmas above all) and there are various version across Sicily. The original one, or as you can see in the picture in its “mini” version (called Cassatina, small Cassata) or the Cassata Oven Baked (Cassata al forno) which you can find the recipe here.

Sfincia di San Giuseppe (St. Joseph Sfincia)

You’ll notice that we did put another dessert with Ricotta in the list, and that’s because in Sicily we LOVE ricotta! Sfincia is a typical dessert of the feast of San Giuseppe, although you can easily find it all year round, and is composed of a base formed by a spongy fried dough sumptuously covered with delicious ricotta cream. The candied fruit and the chopped pistachios are used to embellish a dessert that is already looking (and tasting) fantastic.

Gelo di Melone (Sicilian Watermelon Pudding)

The “Gelo di mellone” is a typical Sicilian pudding dessert (very popular especially in Palermo) , whose main ingredient is the watermelon, which in Sicilian dialect is called “mellone” or “muluni”. As the watermelon are typically very good during summer, and we always try to use the best ingredients, is not very common to find the Gelo di Mellone during the other seasons. You want to know more about this dessert? You can find our article here, and then follow our recipe!

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Sicilian Food Culture