Throughout the island you will not find other pastry shops that manage to make them so good: classic or innovative, and which do you prefer?
In Sicily Sicilian cannoli they are one of the most delicious gastronomic delights, together with other desserts such as cassata and almond pastries, the latter made with fresh egg pasta wafers, Marsala aroma and fried until they reach a perfect and crunchy golden colour.
Cannoli boast a great and long tradition, now exported all over the world. Every city, every area and every Sicilian municipality even claims its own version, enriching it with ingredients and secrets handed down from generation to generation.
The preparation of cannoli requires care and attention to detail: from the choice of ingredients to the preparation of the crispy wafflesup to the filling with a creamy and delicious ricotta cream enriched with dark chocolate chips and various decorations.
It is therefore much more than a dessert, like the Milanese cutlet in Piedmont, or the carbonara in Rome. They are a symbol of Sicilian hospitality and conviviality, a true encounter with the richness of the flavors and traditions of the island.
A symbol of Sicily reproduced in a thousand ways
The cannoli is such a unique symbol of Sicily in the world that it has been reproduced in a thousand ways. There are those who paint it, those who tattoo it and those, how Giovanni Mirullagraduated in Computer Engineering in Catania, created it… with i Lego!
294 bricks made up this sweet toy, ideal both to entertain children and to surprise the most avid collectors of the famous bricks. It’s absurd to think that this perfect creation didn’t win the title in the competition in which it was entered.
But what are the best cannoli in Sicily?
The pastry shops of Pino Nicolosi and Franco La Bellain Caltabellotta and Sciacca respectively, distinguished themselves in the national competition “Sicilian regional desserts” of 2023. The cannoli was the protagonist of the competition with two categories competing: the classic and the innovative.
The Franco La Bella pastry shop triumphed in the classic cannoli category, while the “Nicolosi Pâtisserie” obtained first prize for the “innovative” cannoli. The awards ceremony saw the participation of big names such as Paolo Antico, Giovanni Lorenzo Montemaggiore and Salvatore AM Monte.
