Arancini (, , ; ; : ''arancino''), also known as ''arancine'' (: ''arancina''), are Italian rice balls that are stuffed, coated with

breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs are a culinary ingredient consisting of flour or crumbled bread of varying dryness, sometimes with seasonings added. They are used for a variety of purposes, including breading or crumbing foods before frying (such as breaded cutlet ...

and deep-fried. They are a staple of

Sicilian cuisine Sicilian cuisine is the style of cooking on the island of Sicily. It shows traces of all cultures that have existed on the island of Sicily over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has much in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian foo ...

. The most common arancini fillings are ''al ragù'' or ''al sugo'', filled with ragù (meat or mince, slow-cooked at low temperature with tomato sauce and spices),

mozzarella Mozzarella is a Types of cheese#Semi-soft cheese, semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared using the ('stretched-curd') method with origins from southern Italy. It is prepared with cow's milk or buffalo milk, taking the following names: * or mozz ...

or '' caciocavallo'' cheese, and often

peas Pea (''pisum'' in Latin) is a pulse or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Peas are eaten as a vegetable. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name ''Pisum sativum ...

, and ''al burro'' or ''ô burru'', filled with prosciutto and mozzarella or béchamel sauce. A number of regional variants exist which differ in their fillings and shape. ''Arancini al ragù'' produced in eastern Sicily, particularly in cities such as

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

and

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

, have a conical shape inspired by the volcano Etna.

Etymology

''Arancini'' derives from the Sicilian plural

diminutive A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...

of (), from their shape and colour which, after cooking, is reminiscent of an orange. In Sicilian, '' arancini'' is grammatically plural. The corresponding singular is either the masculine '' arancinu'' or the feminine '' arancina''. The eastern side of Sicily tends to use the masculine form, while the western side tends to use the feminine form. In Italian, the masculine (: ''arancini'') form has become prevalent, although the feminine form (: ''arancine'') can also be used.

History

Arancini are said to have originated in 10th-century

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, at a time when the island was under Arab rule. Its origins may therefore be possibly the same as Levantine kibbeh. Academic Annette Condello pinpoints arancini's origin to 18th-century southern Italy, where she says it was made to resemble oranges. In the cities of

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, Syracuse, and

Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...

in Sicily, arancini are a traditional food for the feast of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...

( Italian: ''Santa Lucia'') on 13 December, when bread and pasta are not eaten. This commemorates the arrival of a grain supply ship on Saint Lucy's Day in 1646, relieving a severe famine. Today, with the increasing popularity of this finger food in Italy, arancini are found all year round at most Sicilian food outlets.

Ingredients and variations

The most common type of ''arancini'' sold in Sicilian cafés is ''arancini cû sucu'' (), which typically consists of meat in a

tomato sauce Tomato sauce (; ; ) can refer to many different sauces made primarily from tomatoes. In some countries the term refers to a sauce to be served as part of a dish, in others it is a condiment. Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high water content, s ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, and

or other cheese. Many cafés also offer ''arancini cû burru'' (, with

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

or béchamel sauce) or specialty arancini, such as ''arancini chî funci'' (, with

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

s), ''arancini câ fastuca'' (, with

pistachio The pistachio (, ; ''Pistacia vera'') is a small to medium-sized tree of the Anacardiaceae, cashew family, originating in Iran. The tree produces nut (fruit)#Culinary definition and uses, seeds that are widely consumed as food. In 2022, world ...

s), or ''arancini â norma'' (, with aubergine). In Roman cuisine, '' supplì'' are similar, but are commonly filled with cheese (different preparation methods and filling distribution). In

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, rice balls are called .

In popular culture

In Italian literature, Inspector Montalbano, the main character of Andrea Camilleri's detective novels, is a well-known lover of arancini—especially those made by Adelina Cirrinciò, his housekeeper and cook. The success of the book series and the television adaptation has contributed to making this dish known outside of Italy.

Notes

References

External links

Arancino recipe
at BBC Food {{Street food Palermitan cuisine Cuisine of Messina Italian rice dishes Stuffed dishes Street food in Italy