The sfincione is a typical dish of the culinary tradition of Palermo that can generally be found at the bakery or on the road, when you buy it directly from the "sfincionaro" pick-up (the sfincione seller). The sfincione is in fact in the list of the most famous street foods of Palermo (and in my opinion, also one of the best ones).

 

It is a sort of high and very soft pizza with a crunchy base, seasoned with tomato and onion sauce, oregano, anchovies and caciocavallo pieces, a typical Sicilian aged cheese. The one represented in the photo is in fact a variation of the original recipe, which includes anchovies.

The sfincione is generally produced in the classic black rectangular baking pans of the baker, which give it that unmistakable crust sometimes charred in the rim, but it is also easy to find it in the mignon and round (or oval) version, ideal to eat "as a snack", or as the bravest Palermitans do, with the coffee at 10.30am. In its miniature version, sfincione becomes "sfincionello".

 

The dough with tomato sauce is the most classic and known, but there is also the so-called Sfincione Bagherese (from Bagheria, a town very close to Palermo) which would be white instead, that is without tomato sauce and seasoned with tuma* and ricotta, plus a sprinkling of "mollica" (breadcrumbs).

 

I chose to dedicate a particular space to this dish because for me it represents a true symbol of the Sicilian tradition and, at the same time, a symbol of moments spent with family. In fact, although it is possible to taste it all year round, there are particular moments in which the sfincione triumphs on the tables of the Palermo, for example during the lunch of the religious feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December (also known as “Festa della Madonna ") or, in some tables, even for Christmas Eve dinner.