Panelle, croquettes, arancini, sfincione, stigghiole. It's just a few street foods that have made it Palermo undisputed city of street food. Among these is also the pancake, finger food with a strong flavor, of ancient tradition born from the art of "nothing is thrown away". Is a set of veal offal (waste from processing, small cartilage, bones, etc.), previously boiled at very high temperatures (200-300°) to detach meat residues and reduce callousness and then browned in lard and flavored with spices such as bay leaf, saffron and pepper. Definitely not a food for the faint of stomach.
Before serving it to the customer, the fry cook it is fried in lard and then served in a wicker basket covered with some kitchen cloths (“i mappini”) and a pile of sawdust at the base to keep the temperature high. So customers cannot see the dish until they receive it directly from the hands of the frittolaro (the only one authorized to remove it from the basket) seasoned with a little salt, pepper and lemon. It can be consumed alone in the "cartedda” (oil paper) or inside a sandwich. Furthermore, they are very cheap: a cartedda costs 1 euro, while a sandwich costs 2 euro.
The main feature of this dish is the aura of mystery surrounding the ingredients. The frittaloro can in fact create variations and elaborate always different recipes, playing on spices. Surely those who eat it will never know what the exact ingredients are, but this makes the fritter a one of a kind street food.
But how were the pancakes born? There are many legends around it, some claim that it was born in the 500th century. Before it was sold in the afternoon, now it can also be found in the morning for an unusual breakfast. Among the most famous fryers of piazza Carmine in Ballarò there is Nino U' Dancer, for many the best in town. Stage name of Antonino Buffa, the nickname u' dancer derives from his technique of seasoning bread: a dance aimed at an optimal "conzatura".
In Sicily, the origins of street food are very ancient, dating back thousands of years ago with the arrival of the various dominations that have certainly contaminated Sicilian cuisine and culture. Among the many delicacies that can be found in the Sicilian streets are the croquettes and panelle, sandwich with spleen, boiled octopus, heat, boiled zucchini and musso carcagnolo (snout and cartilage of the jaw of the calf). A large variety of finger food that can be enjoyed comfortably while strolling through the streets or markets of Palermo, at all hours of the day and night. The only rule: use only your hands.
