On March 19th, for many it's the anniversary devoted to the father for excellence, St. Joseph, and to Father's Day, but in Palermo, and generally in Sicily, it isn't so.
First of all, it's an excuse to be able to taste this gluttony without too much guilt!
Do you already have your mouth water, right? (Well, I do a lot!)
Well, if you want to immerse yourself in a mystical experience and if you want to enjoy this typical dessert virtually, get comfortable and enjoy reading!
Origins
Probably, the word derives from the Latin spongia which means "sponge", or likewise from Arabic اسفنج, isfanǧ that it indicates the same meaning. Because, the typical consistency of the cake is like a soft pancake with an irregular shape. Its presence is also confirmed in the Bible and in the Quran, although it's called differently. The dessert was invented as a simple Arabic-Persian bread fried in oil, but Palermitan nuns of the Monastery of St. Francis' Stigmata (unfortunately destroyed) that modified it. They sweetened the sfincia and they dedicated it to the Saint of the poor (St. Joseph) as the ingredients' sweet were poor and simple. After, the skilled Palermitan confectioners enriched it with ricotta cream, chopped pistachio, chocolate and candied drops, consecrating it in the pantheon of Sicilian sweets.
Variety
There are varieties around Sicily, the most characteristic are: sfincia of Nicosia, the dough is similar but it is served with sugar and cinnamon, pumpkin sfincia, characteristic of the Aeolian Islands, composed of flour, milk, eggs, yellow pumpkin puree.
Curiosity
Tradition says that the sfincias were prepared by the mother-in-law for the daughter-in-law. The purpose was to fix their relationships, typically difficult because of jealousy towards the son, for one, and for the husband, for the other.
