Around the U.S., hundreds of pizzerias offer regular or Sicilian-style slices – the latter having more of a focaccia-like texture. The square-shaped slice features a thick dough, usually covered with cheese and tomato sauce, and, like a standard triangular slice, can hold toppings. This pizza most refer to as “Sicilian” is actually derived from sfincione, a street food synonymous with Palermo, Sicily's capital. Nowadays, it's topped with tomato sauce, but the original version was complete with anchovies, sliced tuma (Sicilian cheese made from raw sheep’s milk), breadcrumbs with grated pecorino cheese, onions, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil.It originated in Bagheria, a town in the commune of Palermo that's around six miles from the city center. In fact, sfioncione was a Christmas go-to well before panettone came along. History and originsIn 1650, Prince Giuseppe Branciforte di Butera retired from politics and retreated to his mansion in Bagheria, bringing his entire court with him. His staff included the Monsù people, who worked as cooks for the Sicilian aristocracy, and they'd prepare sfincione, a recipe created by the nuns of the monastery of San Vito. The original nun's recipe included béchamel, chicken offal, and peas, but the Prince's chefs decided to use ingredients that represented the local territory, such as sardines from Aspra, a seaside hamlet of Bagheria, and replaced the béchamel with locally produced tuma cheese. Antonio Mineo, an ancient Sicilian grain selector and manager of the Antico Forno Valenti dal 1887, stated that the sfincione bagherese can be considered Sicily's first gourmet dish, born from the Monsù's reworking of an ancient convent recipe that was destined for nobility and clergy.Sfincione (ph Salvatore Spatafora)After World War IIAfter World War II, the price of tomatoes dropped, making them accessible to the general public, prompting them to replace the other sfincione ingredients. This led to sfincione palermitano variant — a street food that can be purchased around town in alleys and markets.
But there’s also a different story behind Palermo's version, one linked to the tradition of families used to bring the ingredients to the district’s community ovens. They'd create their own sfincione with the help of the master baker, finishing it with tomatoes. The antique wood-burning ovenBagheria is one of the few places in Sicily where you can still find 19th-century wood-burning ovens powered by olive branches. These include Antico Forno Valenti dal 1887, Forno Ragusa, and Antico Panificio Don Pietro, which has reopened after 20 years of closure. This bakery represents the generations-old activity of the Vella family, multi-generational family bakers from Bagherithat who opened the bakery in 1864.The Sfincione FestivalBagheria holds an annual Sfincione Festival for two days during the third week of November, with the sfincione di Bagheria sold at community baker stands set up along the hamlet's Corso Umberto I.
Sfincione – The Original Sicilian-Style Pizza
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