Chiesa Badia al Monte (S. Lucia) - Palermo

As we all know, about the day commemorating Saint Lucy, it is traditionally said that in 1646 a terrible famine raged in Palermo.

Until on December 13, the saint's feast day, a shipload of wheat arrived in the city. The starving people wasted no time in grinding it into flour for bread and consumed it immediately after simply cooking it.

This is how the famous 'cuccìa' was born , which the Palermitans, with their characteristic sweet tooth, enriched over time with ricotta, milk or chocolate cream, creating one of the city's most typical and popular spoon desserts.

Traditionally, no bread or pasta is eaten on this day , so Palermo's cuisine has had fun with other tasty alternatives . You can choose from panelle, cazzilli (croquettes) and potato or rice glaze. Anyway, the gastronomic scepter of this day must certainly be given to the arancina di riso, prepared in a thousand ways, each more tasty than the last.

Willem Vandenameele