Cannoli
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CannoliTemplate:Efn are Sicilian pastries consisting of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling containing ricotta cheese.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Their size ranges from Template:Convert. In mainland Italy, the food is commonly known as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Literally).
In culinary traditions across Sicily, regional variations in cannoli fillings reflect local preferences and ingredient availability. In Palermo, cannoli are decorated with candied orange zest, adding a citrusy sweetness to the filling. In Catania, chopped pistachios are favored, adding a distinctive nutty flavor and texture. Ramacca is known for its purple artichokes, which also feature as filling in some cannoli recipes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
EtymologyEdit
Italian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and Sicilian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is originally a diminutive noun meaning 'little tube', from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 'cane' or 'tube'.<ref name="OED">Template:Cite OED</ref>
HistoryEdit
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Some food historians place the origins of cannoli in 827–1091 in Caltanissetta, Sicily, by the concubines of princes looking to capture their attention.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This period marks the Arab rule of the island, known then as the Emirate of Sicily, giving rise to the theory that the etymology stemmed from the Arabic word qanawāt, 'tubes', in reference to their tube-shaped shells.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During this time, the Arabs influenced Sicilian baking with the introduction of candied fruits, pistachios, and cinnamon.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> They also introduced the technique of combining nuts and fruits with sugar and honey.<ref name=":0" />
Gaetano Basile claims<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> that cannoli come from the Palermo and Messina<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> areas and were historically prepared as a treat during Carnival season, possibly as a fertility symbol.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The dessert eventually became a year-round staple in Sicily.
What is certain is, as Salvatore Farina explains, that, "cannolo is a word of Latin origin – canneolus – and means the joint of a reed or cane, the artisan instrument used to roll the dough that was fried to make the characteristic shell, later filled with ricotta cream."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Farina continues, "Probably, long ago, in the wild days of the Saturnali and the old style Carnival, street sellers prepared cannoli in the noisy and crowded public squares, filling the shell with a ricotta and honey cream. This is a confection that comes in natural portions, ideal for eating outside just as one does today with an ice cream cone."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Some similar desserts in Middle Eastern tradition include "Zaynab's fingers" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), which are filled with nuts,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and qanawāt ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), deep-fried dough tubes filled with various sweets, which were a popular pastry.
See alsoEdit
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