Arancina is a deep-fried saffron rice ball, round in the Palermitan tradition (conical in Catania), stuffed with meat ragu, butter and ham, spinach or porcini, breadcrumbed and fried golden.
Arancina traces to Arab Sicily in the 9th century; the Arabic muqattam (small ball) shape evolved into the saffron rice form during the Norman period. The Palermitan round shape is the older form; Catania's conical shape developed later as a homage to Etna. Ke Palle opened the city's first dedicated arancineria on Via Maqueda in 2013, frying to order with 20-plus daily fillings.
3 editor picks for Arancina in Palermo, ranked by editorial score. All Palermo signature dishes · Arancina across every city.
Bar Pasticceria Alba ★ 4.5
liberta · Piazza Don Bosco 7/C, 90143 Palermo
Bar Alba on Piazza Don Bosco in Palermo since 1955 is the city's reference cafe-pasticceria for breakfast, granita with brioche col tuppo and afternoon espresso among the residential quarter.
Ke Palle Arancine d'Autore ★ 4.3
loggia · Via Maqueda 270, 90134 Palermo
Ke Palle on Via Maqueda between the Quattro Canti and Teatro Massimo in Palermo is the city's flagship arancineria, 20-plus daily flavours fried to order until late evening.
Arancina del Mercato del Capo ★ 4.3
capo · Via Sant'Agostino, 90134 Palermo
Arancina vendors at the Mercato del Capo along Via Sant'Agostino and Via Carini in Palermo fry rice balls, panelle and pane ca' meusa from morning braziers for the market crowd.