The traditional dishes and desserts of the feast of San Giuseppe in Sicily

The main element of the altars of San Giuseppe is the Bread of San Giuseppe, a typical finely decorated hard dough bread. In the altars of San Giuseppe, bread takes on a symbolic value which has its origins in pagan rites when bread was distributed with the advent of spring, symbol of abundance.

One of the typical first courses of the feast of San Giuseppe is Pasta con i Ceci. The use of this recipe on the occasion of the feast of San Giuseppe is linked to the act of reciting the rosary. It is tradition to prepare, in the Sicilian squares, on March 19, the day of the liturgical feast of San Giuseppe, grandi pots with pasta and chickpeas and distribute it to everyone present.

Another typical first course of the feast of San Giuseppe is the Pasta with Sardines. It is one of the dishes that is always present in traditional dishes tables of the altars of San Giuseppe. For this reason it is now customary throughout Sicily enjoy pasta with sardines on the occasion of the celebrations in honor of San Giuseppe. Although pasta with sardines can be enjoyed all year round in March, together with that of September, it is in fact the ideal period to enjoy this dish as it is in this period it is easy to find fresh sardines on local market stalls.

In the traditional tables of San Giuseppe it is easy to find another first course of the Sicilian tradition: pasta with maccu di fave, i.e. with a cream prepared with fava beans. The presence of this dish in the altars of San Giuseppe is linked to its ancient auspicious meaning, it seems that in the past it was considered the auspicious dish and that was offered by landowners at the end of the harvest to all farmers to celebrate the completion of the works.

Among the typical second courses of the feast of San Giuseppe the Artichoke with a cork stands out. Indeed, in the tables of San Giuseppe there are no main courses based on meat, being the period of Lent and therefore of fasting from meat, but the artichoke with the cap represents a tempting and tasty alternative. These are stuffed artichokes with tomato sauce, egg and cheese.

In the Palermo area and throughout western Sicily the Father's Day is celebrated with the Sphincia of St. Joseph, a huge beignet fried covered with ricotta cream and decorated with chocolate drops, chopped pistachios, cherries and candied orange peel. The Sphinxes were designed by the nuns of the Monastery of Stigmata of San Francesco in Palermo and were born as poor sweets covered in honey to be eaten for the Feast of St. Joseph. Over time the recipe has gradually become more complex and the Sphinx today they are soft delicacies with cheerful colors that can be enjoyed every day of the year.

In the Catania area, the dessert of Father's Day is the rice crispelle with honey called also zeppola or crispella alla catanese. Honey crispelle are delicious cylindrical rice pancakes flavored with orange and sprinkled with honey. They were designed by nuns of the Benedictine Monastery of Catania in the sixteenth century to be consumed precisely on the occasion of the Feast of San Giuseppe on March 19th. A tradition that is still widespread today.

Another popular dessert for the feast of St. Joseph are the zeppole or, depending on the area of ​​Sicily, rice crispelle or sfincitelle. These are fried balls of dough that are crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and are flavoured with cinnamon or citrus peel and can also be stuffed before or after cooking.