In terms of shape and size, the arancino can be said to be rice balls, sometimes pyramid-shaped, sometimes round.
In the Palermo area the name used is “arancina” in the eastern part of the island the name is “arancino”.
Its filling varies according to the area of Sicily in which it is prepared.
Its name comes from oranges, as it resembles them in color and shape. This typical Sicilian recipe seems to be the fruit of different cultures that have been present on the island.
It may originally have been linked to Arab culture which often used rice dishes flavored with saffron and topped with vegetables or lamb. Then, during the reign of Frederick II of Swabia, breading and frying arrived, to make the mixture more compact (and certainly tastier).
in its original form, it was nothing more than a dessert, invented during the Middle Ages by a nobleman’s cook.
as time passed this dessert would progressively evolve into the savory preparation we know today.
We know for sure that the dish currently considered the most classic, namely the one stuffed with ragù, did not make its appearance before the 18th century, when the use of the tomato, a plant coming from the New World, finally took hold as an ingredient in cuisines from all over Europe.
The preparation of arancini, one of the most famous Sicilian specialities, is an apparently simple process, which instead requires great experience and equal attention in the execution of the various steps
Preparation of rice (with saffron, or tomato, butter and cheese);
Preparation of the filling (ragout with tomato, meat, peas, onion, butter and oil);
Shaping the arancino (to be done by hand, inserting the filling and cheese into the rice);
Passing in the batter and subsequent breading (using flour, water and breadcrumbs);
Frying (in seed oil);
Although arancini are enjoyed all year round in Palermo, there is a day in which people are almost ‘forced’ to have a huge load of them: December 13th, the date on which Saint Lucia is celebrated, protector of the eyes and view. On this occasion, tradition dictates that, to remember a terrible famine that occurred in the past, we abstain from consuming bread and, more generally, starchy foods. It is therefore permitted to feed oneself (among other things) with rice…
