Sicilian Cannoli

📍 Origin: Sicily  ·  🌱 Vegetarian  ·  ⚠️ Allergens: gluten, dairy, pistachios

Sicilian Cannoli: Crumbly shells filled with ricotta and topped with pistachios. Sicily on a plate!

Cannoli are a classic Sicilian dessert made by filling delicate, crispy fried shells, each called a “cannolo”. For the filling we use a typical cheese, fresh sheep’s milk ricotta, mixed with chocolate. You can finish cannoli with candied fruits, pistachios, icing sugar, or any of these ingredients.

We can trace the roots of many Sicilian dishes back to Saracen times. The Arabs ruled Sicily for most of the 10^th and 11^th centuries and introduced sugar and many almond-based sweets to the island. The Saracens left a lasting culinary legacy that includes cannoli, cassata, marzipan, and torrone.

Legends claim cannoli were invented in the Moorish harem of Qalc’at al-Nissa in the Sicilian province of Caltanissetta. Another story attributes their invention to the nuns of a convent, also in Caltanissetta, who produced this delicacy during the carnival feasts.

We now know this dessert worldwide thanks to the great wave of Sicilian emigration to the USA from the 1880s. This dessert also inspired one of the most memorable Hollywood film quotes of all time: “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli” (The Godfather, 1972).

Allergens & Dietary Needs

Cannoli contain flour, butter, cheese, Marsala wine, and pistachios. If you have any allergies or dietary requirements, please let us know. Thank you.

Learn to Make Sicilian Cannoli in Genoa

Add Sicilian Cannoli to your menu: choose it as one of your three recipes and cook it step by step with chef Lucrezia in her home kitchen in Genoa, then sit down to enjoy it with a glass of Italian wine. You will receive the written recipe by email, so you can make it again at home.