The Arabic name of the city, Qalʿat al-nisā, means “castle of women.” It is said that during the Arab domination, women – concubines and courtesans – lived in the castle, awaiting the return of their husbands from military campaigns. Every day these women prepared elaborate dishes, but in the evening they were forced to throw them away, as they could not be consumed.
One day, one of them experimented with a dry dough, fried in hot oil, molded around reeds to give it its characteristic cylindrical shape. It was then discovered that this crunchy shell could be preserved for several days and later filled with fresh creams, such as ricotta.
The original dough was made with an ancient type of wheat now abandoned: maiorcone, which gave the cannolo an intense flavor and a darker color. This detail clearly distinguished it from those produced in other parts of Sicily, where different grains were used, creating variations with a milder taste.