Arancini (which means ‘little oranges’ in Italian) are fried balls of risotto stuffed with ragu, peas, or ham and cheese. They are a ubiquitous street food in the south and come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from golf balls for snacking on the go, to larger pear-shaped arancini if you want to make a meal of it.

Originating from the towns of Palermo and Messina, this iconic Italian pastry can now be found all over the world, from Sydney to San Diego. But the versions in Sicily are made with fresh sheep’s milk ricotta, which lends a tang to this otherwise sweet mouthful. Look out for cafes and pasticceria (Italian patisseries) where they fill the pastries to order, piping choc-studded ricotta into fried cones, finishing each end with a decorative piece of glacé fruit.

Who ever came up with the idea of eating ice cream for breakfast deserves a Nobel Prize, or at least a pat on the back! This traditional summertime breakfast of pillowy Sicilian brioche – brioscia siciliana – served with a glass of granita often almond (mandorla), coffee (caffe) or lemon (limone) flavoured, is a savvy way to beat the heat, and gelato shops around the island also offer scoops served in a brioche instead of a cone for an Italian ice cream sandwich.

Every region in Italy has an emblematic pasta dish or two, and pasta con le sarde (spaghetti with sardines, fennel, pine nuts and sultanas) is a Palermo trademark that celebrates the island’s maritime heritage and history of conquests by the Romans, Moors and Spanish. This pasta dish is best eaten during spring when fresh sardines and wild fennel (finocchietto) are at their best. Sip a glass of local Etna rosso or bianco (red and white wines from Mount Etna), which have a piquant, volcanic minerality to stand up to the rich fish taste.

Another of Sicily’s trademark pastas is pasta alla Norma, originating from Catania and allegedly named after composer Vincenzo Bellini’s famous opera, Norma. Whether that’s true is still up for debate, regardless, this dish of meltingly tender sauteed eggplant tossed with tomato, basil and ricotta or ricotta salata, usually served with thick tubes of penne is a masterpiece in itself.

Sicily’s lavish dessert that consists of sponge cake, sweet ricotta, marzipan and candied fruit is an edible history lesson of the island. The name is said to be derived from the Latin word for cheese, referring to the sweet ricotta filling. The candied fruit and sweetened ricotta filling represent the Arab invaders who brought sugar to Sicily in the 10th century, and the shape of the cake is also reminiscent of the Arab earthenware dish qas’at. The sponge cake – pan de Spagna – and green-tinted marzipan are a hangover from the Spanish who introduced almonds to the island, while the intricate decoration is in the Baroque style. Cassata was originally an Easter treat, but these days it can be found all year round. Whenever you eat it, prepare for a sugar crash.

Known as the ‘green gold’ of Sicily, the highly prized pistachios from the village of Bronte are vivid green and grow on the rocky lava-stone slopes of Mount Etna. They are transformed into a moreish paste that’s pretty much a green Nutella, and are available in jars from delis and supermarkets. Get your fix in gelato, biscotti (biscuits), and in a slice of the unbelievably green Sicilian pistachio cake – a verdant version of a flourless orange cake.

Panelle is the original street food of Sicily. Golden fritters made with chickpea flour, they are served in hot steaming wedges wrapped in paper to eat on the street, or on a soft bread roll like a sandwich.

Some of Italy’s best dishes have come out of cucina povera (literally ‘poor kitchen’) and a style of peasant cooking that utilises whatever is available to make delicious, simple dishes. Nose-to-tail cooking is a facet of this and offal has persisted as a mainstay in dishes and street food across the boot. In Sicily, head to Palermo’s Ballaro market to peruse the brightly coloured stalls of fresh produce, then make a beeline for one of the large steaming wicker baskets to try frittola – a snack of offal that is boiled, then fried and finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. It’s a brown-grey chewy mouthful, a lesson in texture and nose-to-tail in its purest form.

One for the vegetarians, caponata is a rich sweet and sour stew that can be served hot or cold as a meal, a side, a dip on an antipasti board, or as a topping for bruschetta. Made by cooking eggplant, tomato and black olives until soft then seasoning with vinegar, it encapsulates the bright flavours of Sicily’s standout produce and its sea-kissed location in the Med.