Sfincione is a thick, spongy pizza bread topped with tomato, onion, anchovies, oregano and pieces of caciocavallo, cut into rectangular slices; it is one of Palermo's best known street foods.

Italian Wikipedia calls sfincione one of the most symbolic street foods of Palermo and lists it among Italy's traditional agri-food products. It may have been invented by the nuns of the monastery of San Vito, who wanted a feast-day dish different from daily bread, and seems to date from about the 17th century. The name is traced to Latin spongia, Greek spongos or Arabic isfanj, a fried honey fritter. Bagheria makes a Christmas version without tomato, the white sfincione, and hosts the Sfincione Fest each November.

Where to eat Sfincione in Palermo

4 editor picks for Sfincione in Palermo, ranked by editorial score. All Palermo signature dishes · Sfincione across every city.

Book food experiences in Palermo

Sicilian Cooking Class★ 5.0 (315)

Viator · 4.5 h

Sicilian Cooking Class

The Sicilian Pantry is a family run cookery school located in the heart of the Historical centre of Palermo. We offer daily market tours & cookery lessons of tradition...

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Make it at home

Serves 304 hr 30 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g tipo 00 flour
  • 350ml warm water
  • 5g fresh yeast
  • 10g fine sea salt
  • 20ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, finely sliced
  • 200g caciocavallo cheese, grated
  • 8 anchovy fillets in oil
  • 100g coarse breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • Extra olive oil for the topping

Method

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add flour and mix to a soft dough, then add salt and olive oil. Knead for 8 minutes until smooth.
  2. Cover and prove at room temperature for 2 hours until tripled in size.
  3. Sweat the onions slowly in olive oil for 30 minutes until soft and sweet. Cool.
  4. Press the dough into an oiled 30x40cm tin, leaving a thick edge. Cover and prove 45 minutes more.
  5. Top with the cooked onions, caciocavallo and chopped anchovies. Scatter breadcrumbs and oregano; drizzle with olive oil.
  6. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 18 to 22 minutes until the breadcrumbs are deep golden. Cut into thick squares and eat warm.

Editor tip. The breadcrumb crust is what separates sfincione from focaccia; do not skip the topping breadcrumbs or skimp on the oil drizzle.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Fish.