Carnival food ideas: 10 sicilian typical dishes to taste

It is impossible to resist the call of festivity! Yes, because party also means food and every occasion is good to meet and taste the best dishes of the gastronomic tradition. In short, to eat!
The celebration of Carnival is very much felt, not only in Sicily, but throughout the Italian peninsula. Waiting for the period of Lent, the banquets of Shrove Thursday, of Sunday and Tuesday of Carnival become rich and abundant thanks to the preparation of typical dishes certainly not dietetic!
The real protagonists of the menu of Carnival are desserts, especially fried, and to these we will dedicate more space in this article. So, put your diet aside because we are about to share with you some delicacies that you will find hard to resist. Not only Chiacchiere (in every sense), but many typical products that in every part of Sicily are prepared in a different way.
Prepare paper, pen and a pot with oil for frying: let’s discover the carnival food ideas and the best Sicilian Carnival dishes.
Carnival Menu: traditional pasta dishes
Among the typical dishes of the gastronomic tradition of Carnival, there is surely the ancient “Minestrone del giovedì grasso” (minestrone of Fat Thursday), which was born in the County of Modica as a traditional peasant dish. Originally, minestrone included the addition of classic vegetables such as potatoes, dried shelled broad beans, onions, parsley, as well as pork lard without rind and cut into cubes.
A particular dish of humble origin which should be rediscovered and reproposed in the Carnival Menu and on tables.
Among the pasta dishes of the Carnival Menu, cannot miss Pasta di Cannaluvari, a dish seasoned with meat sauce and peas and the typical Pasta chi cincu pittusa (“Pasta with five holes”), very common in the Catania area and made with pork and veal meat. Both dishes represent the perfect alternative to the classic Italian lasagna.
Another typical pasta dish of Sicilian Carnival are Maccaruna cu’ sucu ‘nta maidda, served inside a typical wooden container also used to make bread.
Sicilian Carnival Desserts
From North to South, recipes for Carnival sweets are really many. In Sicily, in particular, Carnival sweets are the symbol of the gastronomic tradition of February and Shrove Thursday and there are dozens of recipes to be prepared in order to delight the palates of adults and children.
Fried or baked, you can indulge in the preparation of desserts made of flour, milk and eggs such as struffoli, chiacchiere and castagnole. Tradition always requires few ingredients but, I recommend, do not forget to decorate them properly with powdered sugar or honey.
Yes, you don’t need many ingredients, but a lot of imagination and creativity in the kitchen! Let’s discover all the best Sicilian Carnival desserts to prepare in a short time and in a simple way.
Carnival Chiacchiere
Needless to say, Chiacchiere are undoubtedly the sweet par excellence of Sicilian Carnival. Similar to the bugie of Northern Italy and the cenci and frappe of Central Italy, the Chiacchiere represent an artisanal sweet with very ancient origins.
A simple sweet, with a dough made of flour and eggs, which in ancient times was fried in pork fat. Today, the Chiacchiere are fried in the classic sunflower oil or baked in the oven, for the more diet conscious. The aspect, however, remains unchanged.
Chiacchiere can be recognized by their typical rectangular shape, by the strips of dough joined together and by the “zig-zag” sides. Decorated with powdered sugar or dipped in delicious chocolate or pistachio creams, they continue to be the sweet symbol of Carnival and delight everyone.
Sicilian Pignolata
Among the typical desserts of Sicilian Carnival there is also Pignolata, one of the most known sweets of this particular period of the year. This sweet has origins in Messina and dates back to the period of Ancient Rome. Like most of sweets, Pignolata was a humble sweet prepared with few ingredients by the poorer classes and then enriched and spread among the nobility as well.
In Palermo, Pignolata takes the name of Pignoccata and the name derives from the custom of arranging the balls one on top of the other, as to simulate the shape of a real pine-cone.
This cake is very similar to the struffoli from Campania and it is made of small balls of dough prepared with flour, butter, eggs and sugar which are fried and then garnished with different types of icings. Traditionally pignolata is garnished with honey and decorative pigtails, but there are also some variants with lemon and dark chocolate made by master pastry chefs from Messina.
Sicilian Cannoli (always king of the table)
Whether it is Christmas or Carnival, little changes for Sicilian Cannoli, always protagonists of the table set for a feast. Cannoli are among the Carnival sweets which cannot be missed on Sicilian tables.
And, in reality, the origin of Cannoli is to be attributed to Carnival. According to sacred tradition, the Sicilian cannoli was born inside a convent in Caltanissetta. It was here that nuns prepared sweets made of ricotta cheese and chopped almonds then decorated with pieces of chocolate, just in occasion of Carnival.
The crispy wafer and the sweet ricotta filling made it irresistible all over the world.
Sicilian Cassatelle with ricotta cheese
And if ricotta cheese is the main ingredient of cannoli, it is also the main ingredient of Sicilian Cassatelle. This typical Sicilian sweet, with a shape similar to a big ravioli, is made of an outer dough with a light aroma of Marsala wine and a sweet and delicious filling of ricotta cheese and chocolate.
According to the original recipe, it is fried but there is also a variant baked in the oven. A dessert to be enjoyed hot, freshly fried or just out of the oven, which can be found every day of the year in every part of Sicily but which absolutely cannot be missed at Carnival!
Sicilian Cuddrureddri
Apart from the difficulty in pronouncing this name for a “not addicted”, Cuddrureddri are Carnival sweets typical of the province of Agrigento, but spread all over Sicily with different names and variants.
According to tradition, these sweets with their particular doughnut shape are also fried. The dough is made with wheat flour and milk and the garnishing is made of aromas and caster sugar.
Sfinci or Sicilian Fritters
In a Carnival menu as Sicily wants, cannot miss Sfinci, also known as Sicilian Frittelle or Sfinci di San Giuseppe. These sweets represent a must of Sicilian cooking because they are simple, tasty and soft. Simply because one calls the other and it is impossible to stop.
Frittelle, prepared with a dough made of sugar, flour, raisins and salt, are a typical Carnival sweet which is also tasted in other particular occasions of the year such as the feast of Saint Martin which is held on November 11.
Carnival food ideas: it’s time to cook!
We have reviewed all the dishes to prepare for a perfect Sicilian Carnival Menu. Obviously, these are dishes that you can enjoy all year round and that every day set the tables of Sicilians (well, not every day!).
We wish you bon appetite and, if you have other Sicilian recipes to suggest us, leave us a comment!