As much as we love rainbow cookies and biscotti, the real star of any Italian bakery is the cannoli. The crispy exterior, fluffy filling, and hearty dusting of powdered sugar all work together to make one of the best desserts on earth. But the cannoli you may enjoy in the United States descends from a famous recipe with its own unique history.
When I traveled with Imago Artis to Palermo, the birthplace of cannoli, I had an authentically Sicilian version that's very different than the ones you find in American bakeries. At the historic hotel Villa Igiea, cannoli isn't just a dessert for guests to enjoy; it's an homage to the history of Palermo.
And that history, which spans nearly 1200 years, comes with its fair share of stories. The cannoli origin story might not be what you expect—that's why we've rounded up some of the most interesting facts about real Sicilian cannoli that might just change how you see this iconic dessert.
Cannoli Shouldn't Be That Sweet
Italian-American renditions of cannoli are often pretty sweet, even without the mountain of powdered sugar sprinkled over the top. But when you go back to the motherland, the crispy fried pastry has a lot more nuance. At Villa Igiea, their dough uses less than half a cup of sugar, which lets the other flavors shine. The Sicilian recipe blends cinnamon, coffee, and cocoa for added layers of depth.
But the definitive star of an authentic cannoli dough is the Marsala wine. This sweet, fortified wine from Sicily imparts another layer of mild sweetness similar to what you'd get from dried fruit. Combined with the lightly sweet ricotta-based filling, a bite of an authentic cannolo is a far cry from some cloyingly sweet versions you can find in the States.
Yes, They're Meant To Look Like That
If you've ever associated cannoli's signature shape with a certain body part, you're not delusional. In fact, the history of the dessert is inherently rooted in sexuality. It's believed that the cannoli we know and love were invented by a prince's harem in ninth century Sicily in honor of his...you know.
Another theory takes place a few hundred years later. The desserts were made as a symbol of fertility for religious events in a newly Catholicized Sicily. National Geographic reports that "the making and consumption of suggestive foods was associated with celebrating fertility and helped foster a connection with the divine."
Cannoli's cultural impact stayed suggestive long after their invention. They became a fixture of the pre-Lenten holiday Carnevale. Just like with Carnival celebrations across modern-day Latin America and the Caribbean, Sicilian Carnevale was full of dancing and food.
You could find street vendors selling cannoli to revelers, who would often gift them to prospective lovers alongside lyrics that use the dessert as a flirtatious euphemism.
The Ingredients Have Eclectic Roots
Cannoli are arguably the most famous dessert to come out of Sicily—and that island has had many cultural influences. Its strategic location in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea made it a lucrative territory for empires throughout history. The legend surrounding the harem of women dates back to Arab rule in the ninth century, which brought both coffee and cinnamon to the region.
Sicily's robust wine history, including that of Marsala, can be attributed to ancient Greek influence. And the use of cocoa comes from the Americas by way of the Spanish occupation of Sicily in the 16th century. Nearly every ingredient that goes into the cannoli at Villa Igiea has a unique origin story that reflects Sicily's own history.
Nuns Made Cannoli Popular
Many culinary specialties across Europe can be attributed to the work of the clergy. Herbal liqueurs are often medicinal inventions made by priests using local botanicals. Even today, the recipe for the French liqueur Chartreuse is guarded by only two Carthusian monks at any given time.
And for a large portion of the middle ages, cannoli were kept alive by nuns across Sicily. Pastry-making was commonplace in monasteries, originally to serve noble guests. But as agricultural technology expanded and made ingredients more affordable, selling cannoli and other desserts became a large-scale operation.
At their peak in the 18th century, it's believed that there were as many as 21 convents making pastries in the capital city of Palermo. Only a few are still up and running today, but you can still find fresh cannoli in virtually every corner of Sicily. And some of the best are at Villa Igiea.
Expertise: TikTok Trends, Drinks, Pop Culture
Education: B.A. in Journalism and B.S. in Communications from NYU, Culinary Arts degree from The Institute of Culinary Education
About Me: As an associate editor at Delish, Gabby works on everything from features to recipes to content on our social media channels. Before joining the team, she wrote for StarChefs Rising Stars Magazine, Mashed, and Food52. When she’s not developing cocktail recipes, she’s making cocktail-inspired dishes like Dirty Martini Pasta and Aperol Spritz Trifle. Her features cover online trends like the Millennial Shopping Cart, rank everything from hard seltzers to frozen French fries, and answer some of your most pressing food safety questions. You can also find her posting content on Delish’s TikTok, including her three-part series about cooking like influencer Nara Smith that garnered over 3M combined views. She loves eating spicy food, collecting cookbooks, and adding a mountain of Parmesan to any dish she can.
