Arancina or Arancino? That is the Question!

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

If you like Sicilian food, you’ve probably already tasted an arancino. But what you may not know is that a controversy over the name of this popular Sicilian snack has recently reached a boiling point thanks to its recent inclusion in the Oxford English dictionary.

In 2019, the Oxford English dictionary added the word “arancini” to its latest edition, defining the term as “rice balls with savory filling, covered with breadcrumbs and fried, typically served as appetizer or snack.” So, is everyone happy about this in Sicily? Not really, because arancini is the plural of “arancino,” the masculine form of the word, which is used in Catania. However, in Palermo, this street food is known by its feminine form “arancina” (plural “arancine”) to indicate this mouthwatering specialty. That’s not the only difference; Palermitani typically make their version a round shape in their city, the capital of Sicily. On the contrary, Catanesi prepare arancini in a cone-shaped form, possibly representing Mount Etna, at least for the ragù-filled version.

With this dictionary addition, a new battle in this neverending linguistic war has started between the Eastern and the Western side of Sicily. Surprisingly, the British experts decided that Catania wins over Palermo this time!

However, over the years, there have been different opinions in this culinary controversy. The Accademia della Crusca, the Florence-based oldest language academy in the world that was established in 1583, determined that this iconic crunchy deepfried rice croquette can be both called arancino and arancina.

According to Dr. Stefania Iannizzotto, a linguistic expert from the Ragusa area who lectures at the academy, arancino is actually a variation of the Sicilian term “arancinu” (small sour orange) which is a masculine noun in this distinct language. The word “arancina” is instead more used in the Italian language since feminine nouns typically denote fruit, whereas the corresponding masculine nouns stand for the tree that the fruit comes from.

The first official account of arancino in Sicily comes from the Italian-Sicilian dictionary written in 1857 by Giuseppe Biundi, who used the masculine form, saying arancino was a “sweet food shaped as an orange.”

But why was orange associated with arancino? According to historic sources, it is because the Arabs, who ruled Sicily between the 9th and 11th century, imported a variety of sour citrus in the island and matched a fruit name with every meatball they made! They shaped saffron rice mixed into balls to be filled with lamb meat and, as suggested by a 13th century culinary book written by Giambonino da Cremona, they named them after the fruits they resembled. In classic Arabic, oranges were called “naranj” which in Italian translates into “arancia.” Hence, arancini or arancine!

Today in Sicily, arancini, which are traditionally filled with ragù (meat and tomato sauce), can be prepared with many different fillings suchas spinach, pistachios, mushrooms, Béchamel sauce, ham, salmon, ricotta cheese, eggplant, seafood and even Nero di Seppia (squid ink). You can also taste a sugary version of arancini stuffed with Nutella!

Arancini can be found in panifici (bakeries), cafès, pasticcerie (pastry shops), rosticcerie (rotisseries) or in friggitorie (rotisseries mainly selling fried food), as well as during food festivals. Smaller-shaped arancini are served as finger food during aperitif to accompany drinks.

In conclusion, what is the best advice to avoid being disrespectful when you order this popular deep-fried rice croquette? Just as with soccer, Sicilians take this linguistic rivalry very seriously. The answer is simple: just say “vorrei un’arancina” if you are in Palermo and order “un arancino” if you are in Catania!

Arancino or arancina is a culinary treasure of the ancient Arab-Sicilian food tradition. It consists of a delicious deep-fried rice ball that is filled with ground meat, cheese and a variety of other fillings. For years, this popular street food snack has been at the center of a linguistic controversy between the Eastern and Western sides of Sicily over the gender of its name. (Photo by www.zero.eu)