Flavors · Palermo

Arancina

Rice ball with saffron, stuffed, breaded and fried. In Palermo it’s called arancina (feminine) and is round like an orange. It is the food of Saint Lucy’s Day, December 13, when people from Palermo do not eat bread or pasta.

Traditional dish from Palermo, Sicília

Also known as: arancine, arancino, arancini, arancina al ragù, arancina al burro

Updated November 2026

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Arancina — Palermo, Italy

Arancina is made with cooked, seasoned rice, often with saffron that gives it a yellow color. The rice surrounds a filling and is shaped into a ball about the size of a small orange, coated in a batter of flour, water and breadcrumbs, and fried in plenty of oil. The two classic Palermo fillings are accarne, with meat ragù and peas, and abburro, with ham, mozzarella or another cheese and béchamel. Today there are also versions with spinach, eggplant, seafood and even sweet fillings.

The name comes from arancia, orange, because of the shape and color. In Palermo and western Sicily it is called arancina (feminine) and the fritter is round. In Catania and the eastern part of the island it is called arancino (masculine) and the shape is conical, which many associate with Etna. The debate is so old that the Accademia della Crusca, the reference institution for the Italian language, has spoken on it and deemed both forms correct.

In Palermo, arancina is linked to December 13, Saint Lucy’s Day. According to tradition, in 1646, during a famine, a ship loaded with wheat arrived at the port on that day, and the hungry population cooked the whole grains instead of milling them. Since then, out of devotion, people from Palermo do not eat bread or pasta on December 13 and replace them with rice and grains: arancina and cuccìa, a sweet of cooked wheat with ricotta. On that day, bakeries, bars and rotisseries in the city prepare arancine nonstop.

During the rest of the year, arancina is street food: sold hot in rotisseries and bars, eaten with the hands at any time.

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Where it comes from

Palermo , Sicília
In Palermo the specialty is the arancina, round, and it is the food of Saint Lucy’s Day, December 13, when the city sets aside bread and pasta.

Ingredients

Rice, saffron, broth and butter or cheese for the rice; meat ragù with peas (accarne) or ham, cheese and béchamel (abburro); flour, water and breadcrumbs for breading; oil for frying.

How it is eaten

Hot, eaten with the hands, as a snack or quick meal, bought at rotisseries, bars and bakeries.

When it is eaten

All year; in large quantities on Saint Lucy’s Day, December 13.

Your questions

Questions about Arancina

Arancina or arancino?

In Palermo it’s called arancina and the fritter is round; in Catania, arancino, with a conical shape. The Accademia della Crusca considered both forms correct.

Why is arancina eaten on Saint Lucy’s Day in Palermo?

Because of a tradition linked to a 1646 famine: on December 13 people from Palermo do not eat bread or pasta and replace them with arancine and cuccìa.

What are the traditional fillings of arancina?

Accarne, with meat ragù and peas, and abburro, with ham, cheese and béchamel.

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