Arancine have been gaining popularity outside of Sicily in recent years. But let’s be clear: they are from Sicily. Also, understand that they are “arancine” or one is an “arancina.” You’ll find in restaurants in the US they are often mis-named “arancini.” Arancini (plural with an -i) are little oranges (“Arancio,” with an -o, is a regular sized orange.). Arancine (plural of arancina with an -a) are fried, breaded rice balls, like this one pictured here. But this one isn’t the traditional recipe–to illustrate that Sicilian cuisine evolves. This one is made with spinach and caciocavallo cheese without any meat. I ate it at Bar Aluia on Via della Libertà in Palermo. Arancine also are made with eggplant, mushrooms, and other ingredients. The important take away here is that it is a Sicilian street food you should absolutely indulge in when travelling in Sicily.
