Catania Street Food Tour

Overview

Catania is widely regarded as Sicily's street-food capital. A self-guided tour through the old centre — from La Pescheria to Via Plebiscito — reveals arancini, cartocciate, cipollina, horse-meat sandwiches, and the city's signature "seltz, limone e sale" fizzy lemon drink.

Highlights

• Arancini: Catania's round rice balls (not pointed like Palermo's) come stuffed with ragù, butter-and-ham, or spinach.
• Cartocciate and cipollina: Baked pastries stuffed with mozzarella-and-ham or sautéed onions — available at every bakery.
• Horse-meat sandwiches: Grilled horse-meat on a sesame roll with lemon — a Catanese tradition since the 19th century, sold at kiosks around Piazza Stesicoro.

History

Catania's street-food culture has roots in the working-class need for cheap, filling meals that could be eaten on the go. Arab, Norman, and Spanish influences all contributed ingredients and techniques. The tradition of horse-meat eating dates from the 1800s, when surplus cavalry horses were consumed by labourers.

Visitor Tips

• Tip 1: Start at La Pescheria for fried seafood, then head up Via Etnea for arancini and pastries.
• Tip 2: Evening kiosks in Piazza Stesicoro and Piazza Currò are the best spots for horse-meat.
• Duration: 1.5–2.5 hours.