December 13th is not a day like any other for Sicilians. On the island, in fact, the celebration of Saint Lucia is very popular and becomes an opportunity to get to the stove and prepare some of Sicily’s most iconic delicacies: arancini or arancine and cuccìa, a food based on boiled wheat that can be enjoyed in both a sweet and savory version.
But what do these gastronomic specialties have to do with the Christian martyr? To fully understand it we must first take a step back. This tradition is very widespread especially in Syracuse, whose patron saint is the saint of light. Saint Lucia was born in 283 AD in Syracuse and had already been betrothed when her mother fell ill. To save her, the young woman asked for the intercession of Saint Agatha in exchange for her consecration to God. When the betrothed discovered everything, he denounced her and took her and the girl was sentenced to death.
According to Christian tradition, her eyes were first plucked out and miraculously grew back immediately. But she was subsequently killed by decapitation (although some sources speak of a sword blow to the throat). Soon the devotion to the saint spread throughout Italy and December 13th, considered the darkest and shortest day of the year, was chosen to celebrate her given that her name means “promise of light”.
The miracle of Saint Lucia during the famine of 1646
Saint Lucia then also became the patron saint of Syracuse, protector of the eyes, the blind, ophthalmologists and even electricians. Among his miracles there is one concerning the famine that struck Palermo in 1646, leaving the population prey to hunger. It is said that on December 13th, after several supplications and prayers, a load of wheat arrived at the port. However, the hunger of the people of Palermo was so great that they did not want to waste time dedicating themselves to milling to prepare the flour for bread and pasta, but boiled it and seasoned it with a little oil. From here the savory cuccìa was born. But there is also a sweet version with the addition of sheep’s ricotta or white or chocolate milk cream, enriched with orange peel, cinnamon or pumpkin.
Even today in many areas of Sicily, especially in the Palermo and Syracuse areas, the tradition of banishing bread and pasta from the tables on December 13th has been maintained, opting for rice-based dishes, namely arancini or arancine. This is why Arancina Day is celebrated (the feminine declination is given by the spherical shape which recalls that of the orange, while in the Catania area these specialties made with rice have a cone shape and are called arancini).
The original recipe calls for seasoning with meat sauce or butter, but today in Sicily there is plenty of choice. In bars you can find arancini with pistachio, mushrooms, pumpkin or standard. In short, there is one for all tastes!
