1. Arabic influence on Sicilian cuisineThe culinarylanguage of Sicilian isfull of Arabisms,especially concerningsweets, sweet dishesthat are fried, andsweets containingraisins, almonds,ricotta, and/orsemolina.

2. CUBBAITAFor example, there iscubbita, an almondnougat made withhoney and sesame,from the Arabicqubbayta, a kind ofdried confectionmade with raisin juiceand other ingredients. 3. SFINCIThe famous Siciliansfinci, are beignetsassociated with thefestival of St. Joseph,derived from theArabic isfanj, a yeastdough fritter eatenwith honey. 4. Sfinci ismentioned inPalermo in 1330where it is soldby the sfingiari.It is still made tothis day in Sicily,Tunisia andMorocco. 5. CassataCassata (siciliana) is atraditional sweet fromthe area of Palermo.Many authors think thatthe name cassatacomes fromqashatah, the Arabicword for deep bowl,in which possibly thesweet was made . 6. It consists of round sponge cake (Pan dispagna) moistened with fruit juices or liqueursuch as Maraschino and has a filling ofricotta cheese mixed with sugar, pistachios,cinnamon, candied fruits and chocolate orvanilla.It is covered with a shell of marzipan,pink and green pastel colored icing, anddecorative designs. It is finally topped withcandied fruit ,depicting cherries and slices ofcitrus fruit characteristic of Sicily. 7. ARANCINEArancine are formedof cooked andflavoured rice shapedaround a core ofchopped meat filling.The balls are thencoated withbreadcrumbs anddeep fried to a crisp. 8. Rice (as well as oranges) wasintroduced during the Arab period. Ofcourse, rice cultivation requires water.The Arabs built innovative and veryefficient irrigation systems in Sicily.Moreover,arancina rice is flavoured andcoloured with saffron, a spice whichwas more prominent in medieval Arabcuisine. 9. PANELLEAnother crispy friedSicilian foodintroduced by theArabs were Panelle .These are flat cakesmade with chickpea(ceci) flour. 10. CANNOLICannoli are Sicilianspecialities made from adisc of rolled fried pastry known as the scrza stuffed with sweetenedsheeps ricotta mixedwith candied fruit andsometimes with theaddition of pistachios,hazelnuts and pieces ofchocolate. 11. The pastry is made from a mixtureof flour, white wine, sugar and lard.It is thinly rolled around cylindricalmetal tubes and deep-fried in lard.They originated in the town ofCaltanissetta. The nameCaltanissetta is said to derive fromthe Arabic Qalat al Nissa whichroughly translates Fort of theWomen. 12. The area was for long occupied bythe Saracens. One theory has it thatcannoli were first made by thewomen working in a Saracen haremand they were banana shaped, filledwith ricotta, almonds and honey witha clear allusion to the virtuousqualities of the Sultan. 13. The area was for long occupied bythe Saracens. One theory has it thatcannoli were first made by thewomen working in a Saracen haremand they were banana shaped, filledwith ricotta, almonds and honey witha clear allusion to the virtuousqualities of the Sultan. 14. SORBETTOItalian sorbetto goesback through French(sorbet) to theTurkish sherbet ( asweet lemonade).Asthe original drinkcontained fruit andwas often cooled withsnow it became afrozen dessert . 15. SharabThe Turkishsherbetcomes fromthe Arabicword sharbthat has twomeanings :"a drink"" a syrup 16. Ice creamPerhaps the first realversion of ice creamwas created by theArabs in the 10thcentury when, for thefirst time, they usedmilk as a mainingredient instead ofthe traditional fruitjuices.