Palermo’s original flatbread – stronger, spicier and more honest than any pizza
Combining wine and food starts with the sfincione palermitano: it’s not a pizza. Anyone eating a sfincione for the first time in Palermo – in Piazza Ballarò, from the hand of a sfinciunaru, who pushes his wooden cart through the market and shouts his wares – immediately understands the difference. The dough is softer, thicker, almost spongy, with pores that form air bubbles in the oven and crackle when a piece is torn out. The topping is stronger than on a pizza: tomato sauce with onions that have been braised for a long time. Anchovies that melt in the heat of the oven and become a salty umami foundation. Caciocavallo that melts without burning. And on top, the muddica – toasted breadcrumbs with oregano – which gives the sfincione its unmistakable crust.
Sfincione is the dish that Palermo doesn’t sell, it lives. It is not served in restaurants – it is bought at the market, eaten on the way home, torn with the fingers. It is loud, direct and uncompromising – just like the city it comes from. And with Nero d’Avola from Sicily, which has the same directness and warmth, the result is a pairing that doesn’t need to be explained because it explains itself.
Ideal wine accompaniment: Nero d’Avola DOC Sicilia (Sicily, Italy)
Deep dark cherry, plum, a hint of chocolate and the warmth of the Sicilian sun in every sip – Nero d’Avola is not a wine that knows restraint, and that is not a disadvantage with Sfincione, but a virtue. The dish is intense: anchovies, onions, caciocavallo, tomatoes – everything is set to maximum, everything pushes forward. A light, elegant wine would disappear in this setting. The Nero d’Avola, on the other hand, comes forward with the same energy as the Sfincione and wins: its dark fruit reflects the cooked tomato sauce, its body stands up to the richness of the topping, and its warmth harmonizes with the heat of the oven, which can still be felt in the dish.
The key pairing element is the anchovy umami: the sfincione has a depth of flesh from the melted anchovies that you wouldn’t expect from a bread dish – a salty, nutty, almost broth-like deep foundation that runs down through the dish and gives the caciocavallo and braised onions a base. The tannin of the Nero d’Avola binds this umami, its dark fruit responds to the tomato depth, and its warmth makes the combination round and satisfying. After a piece of Sfincione and a glass of Nero d’Avola, you don’t need anything else – that’s the highest praise you can give a pairing. Nero d’Avola from wineries such as Settesoli, Firriato and Cantine Barbera reflect the character of Sfincione in an honest Sicilian way.
Further wine recommendations for this dish
Etna Rosso DOC (Sicily, Italy)
The more elegant Sicilian alternative – and a pairing that surprises. The Etna Rosso from Nerello Mascalese brings bright cherry fruit, herbs and a volcanic minerality that combines with the Sfincione in an unexpected way: Where the Nero d’Avola embraces the topping, the Etna Rosso provides contrasts. Its cool minerality contrasts with the heat of the dish, its elegance with the rusticity of the flatbread. The result is a pairing of tensions that makes the Sfincione more interesting than it would be on its own. For wine connoisseurs who like to drink a classy wine that defies expectations with such a down-to-earth dish.
Frappato Sicilia DOC (Sicily, Italy)
The lightest Sicilian red wine – and the freshest and most drinkable choice for a Sfincione, which is served as an appetizer or snack rather than as a main course. The Frappato brings bright cherry fruit, violets and a lightness that provides an invigorating counterbalance to the density of the Sfincione. Especially on warm evenings, when the Sfincione is lukewarm on the table and the wine is slightly chilled in the glass, the Frappato is the right choice: it makes the pairing summery, uncomplicated and easy to drink.
Primitivo IGT Puglia (Apulia, Italy)
Dark, juicy, warm – the Primitivo from Puglia is the strongest non-Sicilian guest on this list and a companion that works with the Sfincione in a direct, flattering way. Its dark berry richness doubles the tomato depth of the topping, its warmth harmonizes with the braised onions and anchovies, and its body is big enough to stand up to the caciocavallo. If you want the strongest, fullest-bodied red wine for sfincione, which makes no compromises, choose Primitivo – it is as direct as the dish itself.
Grillo Sicilia DOC (Sicily, Italy)
The surprising white wine alternative – and contrary to all expectations, a harmonious choice for the sfincione when it is fresh from the oven and the anchovies are still intensely fragrant. The Grillo brings a saline note that communicates with the salt of the anchovies, and its citrus freshness cuts through the fatty film of the caciocavallo. It is not a classic accompaniment for a savoury bread dish – but it is the most surprising, and sometimes surprise is just the right thing.
Côtes du Rhône Villages AOC (Rhône Valley, France)
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre – with Mediterranean herbal spices of lavender, thyme and rosemary, which enter into an aromatic dialog with the oregano on the muddica of the Sfincione. The Côtes du Rhône Villages brings dark fruit, body and a spicy depth that harmoniously supports the pairing with the strong Sfincione topping. Anyone who likes to try southern French wines with Sicilian street food and wants to check whether the basic Mediterranean principle works across regions is well served with the Côtes du Rhône Villages.
You can find all other recipes and wine recommendations from Sicily in the Sicily wine region category.
The recipe:
Sfincione palermitano
Cooking utensils
- 1 Baking tray (30 × 40 cm)
- 1 Large pot for the onion sauce
- 1 Food processor or hands for kneading
- 1 Small pan for the Muddica
- 1 Kitchen knife and chopping board
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 500 g Flour type 00 or 550
- 7 g Dry yeast
- 300 ml Lukewarm water
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10 g Salt
- 1 tsp sugar
FOR THE COVERAGE:
- 3 large onions cut into fine rings
- 400 g Passata or strained tomatoes
- 8 Anchovy fillets in oil
- 150 g Caciocavallo or provolone Coarsely grated
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt black pepper
FOR THE MUDDICA:
- 80 g stale white bread finely grated
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Pinch of salt
Preparation
PREPARATION:
- Dissolve the yeast in warm water with the sugar and leave to foam for 10 minutes.
- Knead the flour, salt, olive oil and yeast water into a soft, slightly sticky dough – 10 minutes.
- Cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 1.5 hours until doubled in volume.
- For the topping: Heat the olive oil in a pan and braise the onions over a low heat for 25 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the tomato puree and sugar, simmer for a further 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
- For the muddica: fry the breadcrumbs in olive oil until golden brown, stir in the oregano.
COOKING STEPS:
- Preheat the oven to 220 °C top/bottom heat and heat the baking tray.
- Spread the dough out on the oiled baking tray – press into all corners with your fingertips, leaving the surface crumbly.
- Spread the onion and tomato sauce evenly.
- Spread the anchovy fillets.
- Sprinkle with caciocavallo.
- Muddica generously on top.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in a hot oven for 25-30 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the muddica is crispy.
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove the sfincione from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
- Cut into pieces and serve straight from the tray.
- Sprinkle with fresh oregano.
SUPPLEMENTS:
- No cutlery – eat with your hands
- Nero d’Avola DOC Sicilia, room temperature
- Caponata as an optional side dish
