Cannoli

Cannoli (Italian pronunciation: [kanˈnɔːli]; Sicilian: cannula) is an Italian pastry dessert of the Sicily region. The singular is cannolo ([kanˈnɔːlo]; in the Sicilian language cannolu), meaning "little tube", with the etymology stemming from the Arabic "Qanawat". Cannoli originated in Sicily and are a staple of Sicilian cuisine. They are also popular in Italian-American cuisine. In Italy, they are commonly known as "cannoli siciliani", Sicilian cannoli.

Cannoli consist of tube-shaped shells of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet, creamy filling usually containing ricotta. They range in size from "cannulicchi", no bigger than a finger, to the fist-sized proportions typically found south of Palermo, Sicily, in Piana degli Albanesi.

History

Cannoli have been traced to the Arabs during the Emirate of Sicily, with a possible origin for the word and recipe deriving directly from qanawāt. These were deep fried dough tubes filled with various sweets, which were a popular pastry across the Islamic world at the time, from Al-Andalus to Iraq.