Photo by stu_spivack.

Dish of the Week: Arancini

Where: 2 Amys, Bibiana, Pete’s Apizza, Potenza

For the uninitiated, arancini are a Sicilian snack of rice balls rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried until crisp and golden. Like a Hostess cake, arancini usually contain a delicious filling, though of the savory variety. Cut one open and you’ll likely find a little treasure of ground meat, cheese or vegetables.

Arancini are named for their round shape and color. Arancici means “little oranges” in Sicilian, and arancini is, fittingly, the masculine plural. The snack is a miniature history lesson: arancini date back to the 10th century, when Sicily was under Arab rule. The Arabs brought rice and oranges to the region, along with the irrigation techniques necessary to cultivate them. Subsequent generations began breading and frying the rice balls in order to have a snack on the go. Tomatoes were not introduced to Italy until centuries later, but today one will typically see arancini served with marinara sauce.

You can find arancini (also listed as suppli, the Roman version) on the menu at several Italian restaurants in D.C. Given their portable nature, we can only assume that it’s just a matter of time until someone starts selling them out of a food truck.