How to cook a typical sicilian pizza: tips and recipes
Just like any other typical dish, pizza has different cultural traditions and culinary proposals from Palermo to Messina, from Trapani to Siracusa.
Yes, pizza changes from province to province in its shape, dough and ingredients, giving us different flavors and aromas which give us a taste of traditions and customs of every place.
As it is known, pizza was not born in Sicily and it is certainly the Neapolitan tradition to be the main one in the Italian and international pizza scene. However Sicilian pizza, deeply influenced by Neapolitan origins, in particular for what concerns the cooking and the preparation of dough, has acquired its own identity becoming an undisputed excellence of the island as well.
Just think about sfincione from Palermo or sfincione from Bagheria, which have become a real symbol of Sicilian gastronomical tradition in the world. But which are the recipes of the Sicilian pizza and, above all, how to prepare a typical Sicilian pizza to lick your lips?
Let’s find out in this article!
Sicilian pizza: how it is made
Sicilian pizza, just like Neapolitan pizza, is cooked in a wood-fired oven at high temperatures (between 400 and 500 degrees centigrade). According to tradition, the dough, made with brewer’s yeast, is made by hand, without any tool, and it is slowly leavened according to the temperature and the level of humidity present in the air.
From province to province thickness and ingredients change, especially for pizza topping. Usually, in order to make Sicilian pizza dough, two types of flour are mixed together: 00 flour and remilled durum wheat semolina. The dough is less soft and more compact than the Neapolitan one, which always has the classic air bubbles that made it so famous.
This is due to a lower quantity of water in the dough of Sicilian pizza. Often, a little bit of seed oil is added in order to make it more compact and crispy during cooking.
All recipes for sicilian pizza: a taste of history
To go back to the origins of Sicilian pizza, it is necessary to go to Catania at the end of the 17th century. Here was born the typical Sicilian scacciata that, visually, reminds much more a calzone or a pizza cut in half and garnished with different ingredients.
In the city of Catania, the scacciata was seasoned with caciocavallo cheese and anchovies, whereas in the towns of the province were added potatoes, broccoli or sausage. In particular, in the area of Zafferana Etnea, it was spread the fried Sicilian pizza topped with cheese, mushrooms and anchovies.
Well, it is enough to move to other provinces to find other variants of Sicilian pizza. For example, in the province of Messina, we find ‘u pituni missinisi and focaccia messinese, both garnished with endive, tomato, caciocavallo cheese and anchovies.
If we move towards Trapani, the Sicilian pizza par excellence is the rianata, usually prepared without the addition of mozzarella. In the province of Caltanissetta we find fuata, a pizza topped with tomato, sardines, pecorino cheese and oregano. Moving towards eastern Sicily there are other important variants of Sicilian pizza.
In the province of Siracusa, it is prepared the stuffed pizza called pizzòlu or pizzolo while, in Ragusa, it is eaten the typical scaccia.
Sicilian pizza recipes for all tastes
We can say that the most traditional Sicilian pizzas all derive from the Sicilian schiacciata. They have a lot in common, even if on the basis of the province they take different names: from fuazza (or focaccia) to cuddiruni.
Let’s see now which are the typical Sicilian pizzas, what they have in common and how to prepare them to enjoy them wherever you are!
The pizzolo of Sortino
As we were saying, from province to province the names change but the ingredients and the way to cook them are very similar. The pizzolo or pizzòlu of Sortino is a typical dish of eastern Sicily, mainly from the area of Sortino.
The pizzolo is a round shaped pizza and has a wide thickness in order to be easily cut. In fact, it resembles a schiacciata. It is stuffed with different ingredients, mainly cheese (tuma or mozzarella) and ham, and then seasoned with oil, oregano, parmesan cheese and salt.
The fuata nissena
The fuata nissena is a Sicilian pizza typical of the province of Caltanissetta, one of the most known and appreciated dishes.
The dough is made with durum wheat flour and is elastic, light and soft (yes, very similar to the Neapolitan one!). The fuata, once cooked, is cut in half and seasoned with tomato, garlic, salted sardines, grated pecorino cheese, oregano, oil, salt and pepper. Obviously, it can be seasoned like a simple pizza instead of like a schiacciata.
However you decide to eat it, we are sure you will be surprised by its goodness!
Trapanese Rianata
Sicily is sea and the scents of typical dishes evoke the most suggestive Sicilian coasts. One of the most famous and best traditional Sicilian pizzas is the Trapanese rianata, a tasty pizza that often takes the name of “pizza origanata“.
The rianata is prepared with a long leavening dough and it is a pizza for the palates which appreciate intense and strong flavors. Why is it called “rianata”? Precisely because of the use of oregano which is a fundamental ingredient!
The seasoning of the traditional pizza rianata does not include the addition of mozzarella, but only tomatoes, anchovies, plenty of oregano, finely chopped parsley, oil, pepper and, sometimes, grated pecorino cheese. There is also a version of this pizza which includes mozzarella among the ingredients, but in this case it is called “rianella“.
Here is the recipe to prepare your own Trapanese rianata!
Old Madonie face
Let’s go up into the Madonie mountains to taste one of the best and tastiest traditional Sicilian pizzas: the faccia di vecchia.
A pizza that looks a lot like Palermo’s sfincione and, in fact, we can say that it is a perfect cross between classic pizza and sfincione. Whoever comes on vacation in Sicily, must try at least once the faccia di vecchia of Torretta di U Zù Caliddu, which has become over the years a fundamental stop for Palermo’s inhabitants and for tourists on the road.
Its name derives, presumably, from the wrinkled appearance and the bubbles that form on the surface of the pizza, just because it is cooked in a wood-fired oven. A high pizza, with a soft dough and an oval or irregular shape, which is seasoned with tomato, caciocavallo cheese, onions, salted sardines, fresh pecorino cheese, oregano, bread crumbs, oil and pepper.
We suggest to eat it hot, just out of the oven!
Focaccia Messina with curly endive and provola cheese
There are no doubts, focaccia messinese has its origin in the province of Messina and it is a specialty of north-west Sicily.
Yes, it is a focaccia because, besides having a soft dough and a high thickness, it is cooked in a wood oven, in large pans, without any seasoning.
Once baked, it is then seasoned with the ingredients you have at home. Usually, ingredients such as tuma or caciocavallo cheese, escarole, tomato and, sometimes, anchovies are used.
Tabisca saccense
Tabisca saccense has peasant origins, therefore humble, and it is a pizza originating from the territory of Sciacca, in the province of Agrigento in the south of Sicily.
Tradition wants it to have an oval shape and to be seasoned with tomato, anchovies or salted sardines, black olives, onion and grated pecorino cheese.
Its name comes from Arabic tabisc and it is distinguished by its shape, by the dough made crunchy by the addition of oil and by the “squashed” surface.
Sfincione palermitano and sfincione pizza bagherese
Yes, we arrived at the king of Sicilian pizzas: sfincione palermitano, also known as sfinciuni or spinciuni. The homeland of traditional sfincione is undoubtedly the province of Palermo and it is possible to taste it in almost every local bakery, kiosk or pizzeria.
To be tried, without any doubt, is the sfincione street food of the street vendors which for taste and consistency differs from sfincione sold in restaurants. We can say sfincione looks like a focaccia, very soft and smooth, seasoned with tomato sauce, onion and abundant caciocavallo cheese.
It is not certain about the etymology of the name “sfincione“, but most probably it derives from the Greek spòngos or from the Latin spongia, literally “sponge“.
However there are many variations, such as sfincione pizza bagherese, also called sfincione bianco because of the absence of tomato. There is also the sfincione di San Vito, created by the nuns of the convent, who season it with meat sauce.
Here is the perfect recipe to prepare your traditional sfincione or your sfincione bagherese!
Sicilian pizza recipes: now it’s your turn!
We have reviewed the typical Sicilian pizzas of the area, making a journey of taste from one province to another. There are also other variants of Sicilian pizza that are very tasty and easy to prepare, such as pizza with potatoes or the classic baker’s pizza.
Many recipes, infinite tastes to taste bite after bite the excellence of Sicilian gastronomy.
Well, now you just have to choose your recipe and prepare the perfect Sicilian pizza to bring to the table.
Do you have other recipes to share with us? Tell us in the comments!
Our Sicilian family, from east of Palermo, always made pizza with a yeast dough indented with anchovies, green onions and olive oil, baked and added with grated cheese.
[…] eggs, fish and meat dishes, legumes and fresh cheese, olives, sweets made of honey, dried fruit and focaccia bread. Even the culture of serving sweets on trays, at the end of the meal, is a custom inherited […]