arancini

Arancini is the plural of arancino, a diminutive of arancia (orange). The name means 'little oranges,' because the fried rice balls, golden and round, resemble small oranges. The dish is Sicilian: leftover risotto (or ragù-sauced rice) is shaped into balls, stuffed with meat sauce, peas, and cheese, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. The technique likely dates to the Arab rule of Sicily, roughly 827 to 1091 CE, when rice cultivation was introduced to the island.

In Palermo, on the western side of Sicily, the balls are called arancine (feminine plural), because arancia is feminine. In Catania, on the eastern side, they are called arancini (masculine plural). The Accademia della Crusca, Italy's language authority, ruled in 2016 that both forms are correct. This satisfied nobody. The arancino/arancina debate is one of the oldest food arguments in Italy, which is a country made of food arguments.

Arab cooks brought rice to Sicily and established a tradition of enclosing fillings inside rice. The technique of breading and frying may come from this period as well. The specific form of the modern arancino — with ragù, peas, and mozzarella — developed later, probably in the nineteenth century. Street vendors sold them as portable food. A single arancino is a complete meal: starch, protein, fat, vegetables, all in one hand.

Arancini are now available far beyond Sicily. Italian restaurants worldwide serve them as appetizers. The fillings have expanded: pistachio, truffle, nduja, squid ink, even Nutella for dessert versions. The Sicilian street food became a global appetizer. But in Palermo and Catania, arancini remain an everyday food — bought from a street vendor for a couple of euros, eaten standing up, wrapper in one hand.