What is in season in Palermo. and what to order when the market changes.
Spring
- Sfincia di San Giuseppe: Ricotta cream-filled fried pastry from March 19, San Giuseppe's Day. Every Palermitan pasticceria bakes them through March; Cappello and Costa make the city's reference versions.
- Fave (broad beans): Sicilian broad beans peak from April to May at Ballaro and Capo markets, eaten raw at table with pecorino, salt and olive oil. The classic Palermitan spring antipasto.
- Carciofi (artichokes): Sicilian violet artichokes run from late March through May at the Capo and Ballaro markets. Eaten raw shaved with lemon and olive oil or stuffed and braised.
- Cassata siciliana: Cassata, the Easter Sicilian sweet with ricotta, marzipan and candied fruit, peaks at I Segreti del Chiostro and Cappello from Holy Week through May.
Summer
- Sarde (sardines) and tonno (tuna): Sicilian sardines and bluefin tuna peak from June to August. Pasta con le sarde tops every trattoria carte; the new tuna catch lands at Trapani and Mondello fish markets.
- Pomodoro a grappolo (cluster tomatoes): Sicilian cluster tomatoes from Pachino and the Trapani coast ripen July to September; they go raw into the pasta alla Norma sauce and the caponata at every Palermitan trattoria.
- Granita with brioche col tuppo: Palermitan summer breakfast across June to September: granita di mandorla, gelsi or limone with a brioche col tuppo at Stancampiano, Bar Alba and every cafe in the city.
Autumn
- Funghi della Madonie (Madonie mushrooms): Porcini, ovoli and chiodini from the Madonie mountains east of Palermo run October to November. They appear on trattoria menus across the city; the Vucciria market sells fresh.
- Frutta martorana: Marzipan fruits shaped and painted by Palermitan pasticcerie for All Souls' Day (November 1-2). The Festa dei Morti tradition; convent-recipe versions at I Segreti del Chiostro.
- Mosto e vino novello: The Etna Rosso and Nero d'Avola new-vintage wines arrive at Palermitan wine bars from October. Cantine Aperte tasting weekend opens cellars across western Sicily.
Winter
- Buccellato siciliano: Christmas Sicilian ring cake stuffed with figs, almonds, pistachios and chocolate. Every Palermitan pasticceria bakes them through December; the convent recipe at I Segreti del Chiostro.
- Arance rosse (blood oranges): Sicilian blood oranges (Tarocco, Moro, Sanguinello DOP) peak from December through March. They go into granita, salads with fennel, and the new-pressing oil dressing.
- Cardi e finocchi (cardoons and fennel): Sicilian cardoons and bulb fennel run through winter, frying in batter or going into pasta sauces. The Capo market sells fresh from December to February.