Arancini and Cultural Identity in Sicily – Global Adventures in Food and Archaeology

Arancini, meaning “little oranges,” are fried rice balls with various fillings, both savory and sweet. They originated during the Islamic era of Sicily when North Africans controlled the island and parts of the southern Italian peninsula. Like many foods, they have an interesting history. Arancini are closely tied to Sicilian identity and have often been traditionally used as a welcome gift for both strangers and friends. However, what they are filled with, how they are served, what they are called, and what part of Silician identity they represent, is contested.

Ruins in Agrigento, photo by Janice Skadsen

The history of arancini (a short summary here) got me thinking about how food can be used as a mechanism for expressing and negotiating cultural identity. It also got me thinking about how we see that in the archaeological record.

The identification of ‘cultures’ from archaeological remains and their association with a past ethnic group(s) is incredibly difficult to determine. Despite the fact that there is a tendency in this field to attach an identity to particular objects, monuments, or even places, a debate persists about whether archaeologists can actually see ethnicity and ethnic groups in the material record (see Jones “The Archaeology of Ethnicity” for a discussion). As Jones argues-

“ethnic identity is based on shifting, situational, subjective identifications of self and others, which are rooted in ongoing daily practice and historical experience, but also subject to transformation and discontinuity”.
Jones (13)

In eastern Sicily arancini more often have a traditional conical shape, to symbolize the Etna volcano

What does this mean? For archaeology, it means that identity cannot only be reduced to material things; it is more than static relics of the past. It is something that is iterative and always in process. It is both personal and shared. But we cannot talk to the past (nor people in the past) to ask questions. Therefore, archaeologists are forced to use the material remains to tell a story. How, then, do we see identity? It is through asking the dynamic how; how have people created, interacted with, perceived, and valued things, people, places, etc. that determines their relationship to identity.

For Sicily, a relatively small, volcanic island, the history is full of cultural interactions, sometimes peaceful and often forced. Throughout its relatively short history (occupation dates back to the 13th century BCE), Sicily has been politically dominated by many different groups, such as the Phonecian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, and Spanish empires. The material record reflects these interactions; numerous monuments and sites act as a testament to the shifting control of the island, such as the Norman-Arab architecture of Palermo. These interactions would have impacted identity, over the short and long term. Conquest, after all, can be a potent trigger of change. At the same time, archaeologists have often noted the nuanced ways indigenous peoples recreate their identities through material culture in the wake of conquest.

For many present-day Sicilians, modern identity is constructed through cultural heritage and ties to the past. And one such cultural symbol of identity is the arancini.

Arancini, first introduced to Sicily during the period of Arab control (9th century CE), is now made from a combination of ingredients reflecting different influences through time (Arab for the rice and saffron, French for the ragù, the Spanish for the tomato and the Greek for cheese). However, in recent years, this food has come to represent two very different Sicilian identities; one that promotes interconnectedness and the heterogeneous roots of Sicilian culinary heritage, the other which promotes a nationalist agenda seeking to reify arancini as a symbol of only Sicilian identity. Even how they are cooked has been used in a divisive way, with those supporting a Sicilian-first identity choosing to include pork, which would not have been traditional in the Islamic version of the dish.

Were arancini a similar marker of identity back when they were first introduced? Perhaps they represented the Arab conquest, with their adoption into Sicilian cuisine marking the cultural merging which came after. Or, perhaps, their slow adoption into Sicilian cuisine (the first recipe dates to 1857), reflects a cultural resistance to outside influence.

The truth is, we don’t really know. But while we might not know what arancini meant for Sicily back where they first arrived, it is clear that they play a significant role in modern identity formation. And their history highlights just how situational and subjective ethnicity and identity can be.

Oh, and I included a recipe for cannoli! They are not the prettiest things I have ever made, and I don’t own the metal tubes to shape them, but it is an easy treat to make and share with friends!