{"id":7439,"date":"2025-07-09T15:43:44","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T13:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/larancina.es\/blog\/sin-categoria\/what-are-arancini\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T16:27:56","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T15:27:56","slug":"what-are-arancini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/larancina.es\/en\/blog\/italian-culture-in-mallorca\/what-are-arancini\/","title":{"rendered":"What are arancini?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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If someone told you they\u2019re fried rice balls, they gave you the boring version.
If someone told you they\u2019re Italian croquettes, they straight-up lied to you.
Arancini are a religion in Sicily.
And in Palma, we make them the way they should be: hot, crispy, and meant to be eaten with your hands.

Keep reading and you\u2019ll understand why you really shouldn\u2019t call them \u201clittle balls.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Okay\u2026 So what on Earth is an arancini?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Imagine a filled ball of rice, breaded and fried. Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside.
Now forget everything you know about croquettes and think of Sicily. <\/p>

That\u2019s an arancini <\/strong>(or arancino<\/em>, if you\u2019re from Catania and love correcting people).
An Italian invention that doesn\u2019t care about schedules, rules, or small plates.
You eat it with your hands, hot \u2014 and it usually ends in absolute silence followed by a long \u201cUfff.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A (quick) history of a legendary ball<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Arancini come from Sicily, specifically from the 10th century, when the Arabs introduced rice to the island.
Some genius had the idea to fill it, coat it, and fry it. And since then, the world has been a better place. <\/p>

Its name comes from arancia (orange), because of the round shape and golden color after the oil bath.
Although if you walk around Palermo, you\u2019ll see some are cone-shaped. And yes, there are also pistachio ones.
Because in Sicily, everything is up for debate\u2026 even the shape of arancini. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Types of arancini (because it\u2019s not all about rag\u00f9)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The most classic ones are:<\/p>