Everyone knows the Sicilian cannoli, one of the sweet symbols of Sicily. However, perhaps not everyone knows that this delicious island specialty is the protagonist of a legendary story.
It is said, in fact, that cannoli originate from Caltanissetta, whose name, from the Arabic Qalat-an-Nisa, Means “Castle of Women”.
The reason for this name finds explanation in an ancient legend, according to which, during Arab domination, the Pietrarossa Castle was a harem where the concubines of the emir of Palermo.
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Waiting for their spouse's return, the women of the castle would have dedicated themselves to preparing various dishes, both savory and sweet. Among them, there would be the cannoli.
Legend has it that they prepared a dough and dried it in the sun and, when the emir arrived, he filled it with fresh ricotta.
It also seems that these women were inspired by a dessert of Roman origin, which was already mentioned Marcus Tullius Cicero, who described it as a starchy tube, filled with a very sweet milk-based food.
With the end of Arab rule in Sicily, coinciding with the arrival of the Normans, the harems would have emptied and it cannot be excluded that some of the concubines, converted to Christianity, retired to the monasteries, taking with them the recipes they had developed for the castle.
Origin in carnival
Another cannoli story says that, on the occasion of Carnival, the nuns would have made a sweet made with a wrapper and filled with a cream of ricotta and sugar and enriched with pieces of chocolate and chopped almonds.
Later, the harem hypothesis was refuted by the characteristics of the castle in the province of Caltanissetta, whose remains suggest that it was a Military fortress.
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However, there is no doubt that the origins of cannolo date back to Arab domination in Sicily.
The Arabs were skilled pastry chefs and, although sheep's milk ricotta was already produced on the island, they were the first to work it with candied fruits and pieces of chocolate and to season it with liqueurs, giving life to the winning combination of sugar and ricotta.
Over time, cannoli became a recognized example of the art of Italian pastry in the world, so much so that it was included in the list of traditional italian food products (PAT) of Ministry of Policies Agricultural, Food and Forestry (MIPAAF).
In 2021, the Sicilian sweet won a commemorative coin.
