Day and I have been in Palermo just a few days. We’ve finally settled into our apartment, and are just getting acquainted with our neighborhood, La Vucciria. We haven’t quite figured out the food thing yet; where to eat, what to eat, when to eat out, and when to just go to the great markets, buy some fresh food and eat in. That’s why, I was pretty excited about our food tour with Streaty Food.

Day and I love guided tours. We’re curious, interested travelers, and walking tours are a great way to get some exercise, get oriented to your new surroundings, and learn something. And, if it happens to be a food tour, it’s a great way to get some good eats as well.

Typically we like to book a food tour in the beginning of our trips, remember, the guide knows where all the good food is. Day and I like to get that figured out as soon as possible. We’ve been pretty lucky, I don’t think we’ve ever had a bad food tour. I think our biggest complaints have been; one lasted a little too long (they should be about 3-4 hours) and the other, there was just too much food, and that ain’t terrible. So how do you pick a good food tour?

Just my opinion, but stay away from TripAdvisor, Viator or any other 3rd party booking agent, do your own research, and book it directly through the company if you can. I like searching on YouTube, and Google. Make sure they have a good website and, if they have a blog, you probably found a winner.

Streaty Street Food Tours of Italy

I booked our tour with Streaty Food Tours. I found them online, I later read about them in a Rick Steves guide book, and lastly, they were featured in a travel video about street food in Sicily. They have a decent website, do tours throughout Italy, and they have a nice blog, that’s good enough for me. So, let’s walk, let’s learn, and most importantly, let’s eat!

We met our guide, Salvo, at Teatro Massimo, Italy’s largest opera house, along with 6 other people. Eight people, plus our guide, that’s a perfect size group. There was an American couple on their honeymoon, a British/Scottish couple, a single Italian guy and a single woman from Dubai. All very nice people, Salvo was chatty and did a nice job keeping everyone engaged.

Our tour began at Capo Market. The Capo Market, together with the other markets of Palermo such as Ballarò, La Vucciria, Lattarini and the Mercato delle Pulci, is an important retail agro-food outlet. It is a very lively and characteristic food market: the colors, the screams of the sellers, the animation of the stalls make it an essential element of the character of the city of Palermo. You can buy just about anything at these markets, including street food. And, if it’s Arancina you’re looking for, apparently Arianna is the one to see.

Panelle, Cazzilli and Arancina

Panelle are Sicilian fritters made from chickpea flour and other ingredients. They are a popular street food in Palermo and are often eaten between slices of bread or on a roll, like a sandwich. Panelle are very similar to the panisse of Nice. Day loved these, they were good, but worthy of love, I didn’t get.

Cazzilli are small potato croquettes. Cazzilli means ‘tiny penis’ to give an idea of their shape. They are very popular and usually served as an antipasto or snack in trattorias. Cazzilli are traditionally a poor left-over dish, but you are welcome to add some cheese (pecorino, parmesan or mozzarella would work just fine) to add some extra flavor to them!

Arancina

The Arancina (pl: Arancine) is a specialty of Sicilian cuisine. It is a ball or cone of breaded rice, generally stuffed with ragu, peas and caciocavallo, or diced ham and mozzarella. The name derives from the original shape and the typical golden color, reminiscent of an orange, but it must be said, that in eastern Sicily, the Arancino (pl: Arancini) more often have a traditional conical shape, to symbolize the Etna volcano.

First, I like to say, if I got any of that wrong about the name, I’m sorry. My intent is not to piss off any Sicilians. Streaty Food has an excellent blog post about Arancine and Arancini, their names and shapes, if you’re interested. Second, I like to say, OMG they are freakin delicious. I could eat them for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, dinner and dolce.

Sfincionello and Pani ca Meusa

The sfincione is a typical Sicilian leavened product, simply a high pizza with tomato, onion, anchovies, oregano, caciocavallo and breadcrumbs;  true pride in Palermo and in other cities where it is prepared in due variations. In fact, there is the sfincione from Bagheria, the sfincione from Catania, the Monreale, the Trapani (called pizza rianata). In short, it is a recipe that finds space throughout Sicily, but history wants it to be born in the monastery of San Vito in Palermo. This was really, really good. It reminded me of mom’s homemade pizza on an english muffin, but obviously a thousand times better.

Pani câ meusa: Sicilian for ‘”bread with spleen,”‘ is a Sicilian street food. Its Italianized name is panino con la milza. It is a dish typical of Palermo and it consists of a soft bread topped with sesame, stuffed with chopped veal lung and spleen that have been boiled and then fried in lard. It is sold mainly by street vendors in Palermo’s main markets such as the Vucciria and the Ballarò.

First, I was totally surprised Day tried it, and, liked it. Organ meat usually wigs Day out, but this, she liked. For me, it tasted good, but the texture was a little weird. What I did like, was Rocky, the vendor, and “The King of La Vucciria.” Yes, he’s a bit of a local star, and he’s been featured on multiple videos and travel shows.

Broscia o Cannolo? Summer or Winter?

In English, Cannoli is usually used as a singular, but in Italian, Cannolo is singular, Cannoli is plural (I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be capitalized, but they’re so freakin good, it feels like they should be). Cannoli is a winter dessert, and it’s summer substitute is Broscia (Sicilian for Brioche)? That’s nuts, give me Cannoli twelve months a year please! That stuff was good.

I would tell every traveler, start your trip with a food tour, Day and I love them. We love to eat, we love to try new foods, and food is an important part of history and different cultures. Food tours are a perfect way to start any vacation. Our tour was good, the food however, was awesome. Day and I have only been in Palermo for a week, and the food has been fantastic so far. We’re only a week into our three month stay in Italy, I imagine the food is only going to get better and I’m going to get fat!

Explore. Dream. Discover. Travel, and Eat!
Luv ya,
Curly