According to legend, arancini first appeared in Sicily in the tenth century, when the island was ruled by Arabs. Therefore, its ancestry may be the same as that of Levantine kibbeh.
Arancini are a customary dish in the Sicilian cities of Palermo, Siracusa, and Trapani during the Santa Lucia feast on December 13, when bread and pasta are forbidden. This celebrates the famine-relieving arrival of a grain supply ship on Santa Lucia’s Day in 1646.
Arancini are available year-round at the majority of Sicilian food establishments, particularly in Palermo, Messina, and Catania, thanks to the growing popularity of this finger meal in contemporary Italian culinary culture. The dish was traditionally made to provide Federico II of Svevia a substantial supper while he was out hunting.
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