Typical Dishes of Modica
Scacce, Arancine, Rustici, and Granita

Scacce are the quintessential street food of Modica. An extremely thin durum wheat semolina dough — almost transparent — rolled up on itself multiple times with various fillings. The classic filling is tomato and Ragusano caciocavallo cheese, but variations exist with onion and anchovies, ricotta and sausage, broccoli, spinach, and tuma cheese.

You can buy them hot from bakeries early in the morning. The best scaccia is eaten standing outside the bakery at eight o'clock, when it's just come out of the oven. No restaurant can compare.

Arancine — arancine in the feminine form throughout Eastern Sicily, including Modica — are golden fried rice balls, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside. An inheritance from Arab cuisine of the 9th century, they are now the globally recognized symbol of Sicilian street food.

In Modica, you'll find them in delis and cafes from the morning onwards. The traditional filling is meat ragù, peas, and mozzarella, but there are versions with ham and cheese, spinach and ricotta, pistachio, and even chocolate.

Rustici are the quintessential Modican lunch break. Small sandwiches or tarts made with shortcrust or puff pastry, filled and baked in the oven. You'll find them in every deli and bakery in town. Light, flavorful, to be eaten hot or warm.

Unlike scacce — which are traditionally baked in wood-fired ovens and are a morning affair — rustici are available throughout the day. They are perfect for a quick snack between visits to the Baroque historic center.

Sicilian granita is not ice cream. It contains no milk or cream — it's made only with fresh fruit juice, water, and sugar, processed to a consistency between sorbet and shaved ice. Creamy, dense, with the pure flavor of the fruit.

It's eaten for breakfast, with a warm brioche from the bakery — a soft, slightly sweet brioche that is dipped into the granita. It's a cultural experience as much as a culinary one. Classic flavors include almond, lemon, strawberry, coffee, mulberry, and prickly pear.

Mpanatigghi are Modica's most mysterious dessert. Small shortcrust pastries filled with an improbable yet irresistible mixture: minced meat, dark chocolate, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar. Likely of Spanish origin, they date back to the 16th-17th century.

Those who taste them for the first time are always surprised — the meat flavor disappears during baking, leaving a spicy and enveloping aftertaste. They keep for three to four weeks in a tin box. The perfect souvenir for those who want to impress.

Modica chocolate is radically different from any other chocolate. Processed cold, without added milk or cocoa butter, it has a granular, almost sandy texture that melts slowly in your mouth, releasing the pure flavor of cocoa.

Since 2018, it has been recognized as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) by the European Union — the first chocolate in the world to receive this protection. The original recipe includes only two ingredients: pure cocoa and raw sugar. Classic flavors are cinnamon, vanilla, and chili.

Ragusano DOP is a stretched-curd cheese with a rectangular shape — called scaluni (brick) in dialect — produced with whole raw milk from Modicana cows, an almost extinct indigenous breed of the Hyblaean region.

Aging ranges from two months (fresh, sweet, almost buttery) to twelve months and more (aged, spicy, intense). Excellent grated over pasta, wonderful on its own with Cerasuolo di Vittoria wine.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG is produced a few kilometers from Modica, in the Vittoria and Comiso area. It is the only DOCG denomination in all of Sicily — the highest recognition for an Italian wine. A blend of Nero d'Avola (50-70%) and Frappato (30-50%).

An elegant ruby red, fragrant, with notes of cherry, raspberry, and light spices. It ages well — the Classico versions gain complexity for five to ten years. A natural pairing with all the cuisine of the Hyblaean region.

Other Traditional Modican Dishes

Frequently Asked Questions about Modica's Typical Dishes