Excited for a taste of Sicily's famous arancini, we headed into the centre of Palermo where we quickly discovered KePalle Arancine d’Autore, a traditional Arancini store with three vegan flavours!
These delicious fried risotto balls are served almost everywhere you look in Sicily, but KaPalle is unique in their range of delicious and thoughtfully chosen vegan flavours. The various risotto balls are displayed on the countertop and even on shelves in the window too. The way they are showcased as you walk up to the shop is like in a jewellery shop: this is justified though, as these arancini balls really are something special.
We chose to eat our arancini on the tables outside the shop: this seemed like the most sensible way for two novices to figure out how to eat them! Plenty of people can be seen buying them to go though, making this the perfect dish for savouring if you have time (highly recommended!) or purchasing for a quick and filling lunch if you're in a rush.
Trying Vegan Arancini in Palermo
Our mouths were basically watering from the minute we saw the arancini balls - its was really hard to wait to take footage of them before cracking in!
When it was finally time to eat, we found that the crips breadcrumbed outer shell broke open easily to the soft and fresh saffron risotto inside, before revealing the rich and wholesome fillings in the centre. The arancini was very flavoursome, with the flavours of the centre complementing the warm and creamy risotto very well.
Mike preferred the funghi arancini, which had a creamy centre filled with the delicious earthy taste of porcini mushrooms. Kyra, on the other hand, preferred the ragù arancini. In the centre of this risotto ball was a rich tomato sauce filled with fresh courgette, aubergine, tomato and pepper. The vegan flavours complemented the risotto so well that we really didn't feel like we were eating vegan alternatives - these arancini should be extremely popular in their own right!
Would we recommend Ke Palle's vegan arancini?
KePalle really have created some excellent vegan replications of their traditional recipe here - in terms
of size and price there really was no difference between the vegan arancini and the traditional versions. This is a place where those choosing the plant-based option really can be assured that they are eating something as delicious as the traditional cuisine. We totally recommend you visit here while you're in Sicily!
At KaPelle the arancini were €3.00 each (approx. £2.65 or $3.22). This is a little more expensive than the arancini that can be found in the markets of the city (these usually come in around €2.00 to €2.50) but these were extremely delicious, and we thought they were well worth the money. Realistically, you only need one per person too: they're much more filling than they look!
Have you tried some amazing vegan arancini in Italy? Or somewhere else in the world! Let us know where you had it and how it was in the comments below!
Recommendations
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Where should I stay?
If you're looking for a friendly and arty hostel - whether you fancy a dorm or a private room - A Casa Di Amici Boutique Hostel is really popular in Palermo, and attracts consistently high reviews.
For an authentic, traditionally Sicilian hotel experience, D'Angelo might be exactly what you're looking for! This small hotel even has an antique lift to get you up to the second floor of this beautiful period building.
Tours & Experiences
One really unique sight that you can access from Palermo is Agrigento's Valley of the Temples. This self-guided full day tour includes an airconditioned minivan and driver for ultimate convenient. Or want to get a feel of some more of the stunning island of Sicily, why not check out the top-rated Viator tours below?
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