Cannoli in Sicily

Italy's Favorite Pastry

Italy is know for having some of the best food in the world. Focusing on simple, fresh ingredients.
Italy knows how to highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients they use.
When most people think of Italian food their mind's automatically goes to pasta and gelato.
Although these are some of my favorite food categories too, we cannot forget about the traditional Italian cannolo.

History of the Cannoli

Palermo, Sicily is the birthplace of the cannolo. Cannoli is the most popular pastry in all of Italy. It consist of a fried shell filled with a sweet cream.  The story of the cannoli goes back to when the Arabic people migrated to Sicily. They introduced the Sicilian people to sugar cane.
I traveled to Sicily for myself last week to experience the original cannolo.

The most popular time to have cannoli is during Carnivale. Very similar to Mardi Gras, this festival is filled with parades and street food. It is celebrated before lent. Cannoli can even symbolize fertility during this festival.

Flavors of Cannoli

I tried out lots of cannoli when I was in Sicily. I am a chocolate lover, so of course my favorite flavor was chocolate, with pistachio being a close second. Cannolis are either cream or ricotta cheese filled and come in a variety of flavors.

See the picture above to see the colorful display of cannolis at Pasticceria Minotauro. This shop is located in Taormina, Sicily and was one of my favorites along my trip, Click Here to get more information on this delicious shop.