Catania as a part of Sicilia is a paradise for sugar lovers. If you think that you do not like sweets, you are wrong. Sicilian desserts make you to change your mind. The variety of sweets is impressive. You want to try them all. Almond cookies, marzipan fruits, Sicilian cannoli, torrone, gelato, pasts, tortofini – the list is not full. Sicilia is the tastiest region of Italy.
Italy is full of Roman, Greek, Arabian, French, Spanish traditions. Italians grow almond, lemons, pistachio, oranges and figs. So, Sicilian cuisine is the most interesting in Italy, especially in desserts. You should hire a car in Catania, Porto or another Sicilian city that you chose for your vacation and visit all city restaurants one by one. Do not be afraid! If you take care of your figure, you should learn this article-guide about the most popular Sicilian desserts. Remember them!
Cannolo Siciliane
Cannolo is a snap with creamy mass inside made of fresh ricotta, honey, sugar. You know, fresh ricotta means ricotta that is made right in front of your eyes. You cannot buy ready-to-buy cake. The polite waiter made this dessert for you right now. Cannolo is usually decorated with pistachios, chocolate or citrons. Just take a bite of cannolo and feel the amazing combination of textured pastry and aromatic ricotta.
The size is about 15-20 centimeters, and 4-5 centimeters in diameter. If you want to try the tastiest cannolo in the region, jump in your car and go to Erice for weekend. There is a cozy confectionary La Pasticceria di Maria Grammatico, where you are offered to try cannolo, the best of the best in the North of Sicilia. The pastry is fresh and aromatic. Ricotta is made of fresh milk of modica cows.
Cassata Siciliane
Cassata is a popular biscuit dessert, made of love! The main ingredients are biscuit, liquor, sweet creamy ricotta, chocolate and green almond paste. The top of this dessert is snow-white crème with the sweet fruit: cherry, orange or other fruits.
Frutte Martorane
If you could see these bright colored fruits (peaches, lemons, pears, strawberry) before, you know that they are made of marzipans and almond paste. They are really works of art. The main traditional ingredients are marzipans, made of sugar, lemon juice, paste and vanilla. Each fruit are painted by hands for two or three days. Marzipan fruits are very tasty sweet desserts. You should try them all and buy for souvenirs. There is nothing better than sweet present.
Torrone
Torrone is a kind of dessert that you can find everywhere in Italy. Nevertheless, it was born in Sicily many years ago. The white airy chocolate bar looks very hard to eat. What is inside? There is a sugar-honey paste with almond and pistachios. It is very sweet and tasty. There are many different variations of this dessert. You can find torrone with orange and lemon succades and honey crisp finish. The variety of tastes is guaranteed!
Biscotti con mandorla
Meet the classic Sicilian cookie. The almond bakery is made of almond paste. They are baked to have crispy crust. The sweet mass is soft and aromatic inside. As you know, Sicily is proud of its juicy almond. Sicilians like almond bakery: cookies, cakes, jelly. The assortment is always wide. What kind of Biscotti you want to try? They are different inside: pistachios, raisins, cherry, nuts, chocolate crisps. You cannot be stopped from tasting!
Biancomangiare
You can translate this word as white food. This is one more traditional Italian dessert. It is made of almond powder, milk, starch, lemon and cinnamon. It looks like pudding. This is the best desert variation for kids as it is full of vitamins and useful compounds. Historically, Biancomangiare is served on a plate, decorated with lemon leaves.
Granita
Have you ever tried Granita, or fruit ice? There is nothing better in hot weather than Granita! It is specially made of different ingredients: lemon or orange juice, pistachios, almond, coffee, mint and season berries like strawberry and mulberry. There are many desserts with addition of wine, brandy, liquor.
Buckwheat Pie with Cranberry Marmelade
You could try the close relatives of this dessert in Estonia and Finland – pancakes, made of buckwheat flour. You should try something special in Catania. Actually, this is a kind of buckwheat pie. You cannot say what it is made of for sure by taste. You know, this is a good tradition in Italy to use buckwheat flour for cookies, cakes, pancakes and other pastry. The dessert is considered to be healthy food. So, if you are on diet, you can taste a bit.
Gelato
This is the most popular dessert in Italy! Italian ice-cream is perfect. There are more than 30 sorts of gelato in Sicily, made of exotic fruits and nuts, cookies and chocolate crisp. Meet the champion of many different food competitions Dondoli Gelato. You can taste it in Toscana. Florence is a motherland of chocolate ice-cream. There is a nice cozy cafe Venchi with the big chocolate fountain! What about Sicilia? The tastiest ice-cream in this region is strawberry-chocolate gelato with merengue and wafers.
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Italy is rich in different desserts! Sicilians like cakes, mousses, pies and ice-cream. Nevertheless, the visiting card of Italy is cookies with addition of nuts, chocolate, raisins, almond and cinnamon. It must be fresh and very tasty! You can visit different confectionaries to get the wide choice of Sicilian sweets. Each of them boasts its own history and religious traditions.
As a matter of fact, the fathers of traditional recipes were Arabian, Spanish and Italian churches. The most of different sweets were traditionally made for religious holidays. Traditional have changed. Nevertheless, coming to Italy on holidays you have a chance to taste something special and secret according to the ancient recipe. The list of Sicilian sweets is not full. You can add and improve it by visiting new restaurants and tasting new sweets, pies, cookies, cakes, no matter. If you are lucky, you can find something special and impressive. Come and see!
