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Palermo Eating And Drinking, Italy

Intense aromas, unique tastes generated by unusual combinations. Ingredients that find their maximum expression in the cuisine of this island, such as wild fennel, mint and almonds.

The typical aromas of Sicilian cooking can be smelt all over Palermo, not just in the restaurants but in the city streets and squares, where the kiosks still prepare and serve panelle (fried chickpea pancakes) and crocchette (croquette potatoes) to passers-by.

In every restaurant in Palermo you can try all the local dishes that are part of Sicilian cuisine, but Palermo is also famous for some characteristic dishes, that were invented in this city and then spread to the rest of Sicily. Once very tasty example is pasta and sardines, a recipe made with simple ingredients but which is served in even the most luxurious restaurants in Palermo. This is a very tasty first course, made with wild fennel, fresh sardines, anchovies, saffron, sultanas and pine-nuts. Panelle are also a typical Palermo dish: rectangular snacks made with chickpea flour, salt, pepper and parsley, fried in vegetable oil and served in the open-air kiosks. Other typical “street” snacks are sfincione, a kind of pizza topped with tomato, anchovies and onion, and pani c'a meusa, a sandwich filled with spleen.

Sicilian cooking also has some very traditional desserts: the famous cassata, which is complicated to make and delicious to eat, made with some of the main ingredients of the local patisserie art such as ricotta cheese, candied fruit and almonds. Another dessert that you must try is frutta martorana, colorful and impressive to see, and bursting with calories. In additions to trying this sweet in Palermo, it is also easy to transport and to take home as a souvenir.