“The Arancina is feminine.” In the words of Sultano
“For me there is no doubt: the arancina is and will forever be described in the feminine, just as it is in Palermo.
More than once I’ve been asked, do you say arancino o arancina? And I’ve always responded in the same way: the roundness in form immediately suggests the soft form of a woman. Moreover, this traditional shape can be likened to that of an orange, which is also round and also takes the feminine – arancia – ending in “a”. In other parts of Sicily they declare the word masculine, but we have to consider the shape; that is, if it is molded with a tip into a triangle (which here in the province of Ragusa is rather old fashioned) which have a prescribed connotation imparted by tradition.
Given its widely celebrated – and slightly controversial – nature, the discussion of arancino versus arancina has been declared by Giuseppe Cannistrà and myself on the menu of I Banchi.
Within any dish, including the arancina, lies the fundamental connection of quality products. The rice must be of top quality, like the extra Carnaroli from the Venerìa agricultural estate. The sauce is prepared with a beef ragù and braised Sicilian black pig, and don’t forget about the traditional tuma cheese and Sicilian saffron. For an added touch, we serve our arancina with a fondue of DOP ragusano – the beloved and prized local cow’s milk cheese of the area – at the base to give it an underlying sense of Iblean identity.”