What to eat in Messina, Sicily: delicacies and specialties to taste during a holiday

Surely, in Messina there are many things to see: churches, palaces, fortifications, fountains, and statues. But you don’t want to go back home without tasting the typical dishes of this city. So, you need to know what to eat in Messina.

Street food

How much time to see the city? If you only have one day to visit Messina, and you cannot stop at a restaurant, then the solution is to taste the excellent Sicilian street food:

• Arancini;
• Calia e simenza (chickpeas and pumpkin seeds);
• Mozzarella in carrozza;
• Focaccia;
• Pidone (bread with tomato, anchovies, cheese, escarole);
• Schiacciata (focaccia with olive oil).

Appetizers / side dishes

If you have the opportunity to enjoy a full meal, then, as is customary, we must begin with the appetizers / side dishes:

• Caponata (vegetable salad made from chopped fried eggplant);
• Cucunci (the fruits of the caper plant);
• Insalata di stoccafisso (cod salad);
• Insalata di polpo (octopus salad);
• Salame Sant’Angelo di Brolo (a special salami);
• Salame di San Marco (salami);
• Provola dei Nebrodi (a provolone).

First courses

After the appetizers, it’s the time of the first course. And in Messina you will simply be spoiled for choice:

• Spaghetti al tonno alla messinese (spaghetti with tuna);
• Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines);
• Pasta con cavolfiore alla messinese (pasta with cauliflower);
• Pasta con la mollica (pasta with crumb);
• Macco di fave (cream of beans and vegetables);
• Doppiette di melanzane alla messinese;
• Pasta ‘ncaciata (baked pasta).

Second courses

If, after the second courses, you’re not satisfied, you can also order one of the second courses of the traditional cuisine of Messina: swordfish rolls, “stocco alla ghiotta”, codfish balls, mussels, snails (ntuppateddi), ‘u sciuscieddu (a hearty soup), and that’s just to name a few dishes.

Desserts

It’s almost impossible to list every dessert of Messina, but, at least, we should mention:

• Cannoli;
• Cassata;
• Granita;
• Pasta reale;
• Bianco e nero (a sort of profiteroles);
• Crespelle di riso;
• Cuddura (braided donut);
• Frutta di Martorana (traditional marzipan sweets, in the form of fruits and vegetables).

Here’s what to eat in Messina. And, since the destination is Sicily, you might find interesting to know what to eat in Palermo and what to eat in Catania.

Image source: Flickr.com/photos/twohungrydudes/5528514841