Antipasti · Paris 11
Arancini in Paris: Sicily’s rice ball
At Impronta, on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, arancini are among our most ordered dishes: parmesan rice balls, fried, with a heart of mushroom and stretchy mozzarella. €4 each, €12 for three.
Our arancini, vegetarian
Parmesan rice, parsley breadcrumbs, a mushroom cream and mozzarella filling, fried. Served with the chef’s tomato cream and a homemade cheese cream.
One while you wait, two with an aperitivo, three to share as a starter.
- Arancini végétariensbest-seller3 pieces €122 pieces €81 piece €4Fried parmesan rice balls in a parsley crumb, filled with mushroom cream and melting mozzarella, served with the chef’s tomato cream and a homemade cheese cream.
What an arancino is
A ball of cooked rice, filled, breaded and fried. The Treccani dictionary describes it as a Sicilian speciality shaped like an orange, with white rice and the filling at its heart (Treccani). Hence the name: arancia is Italian for orange.
Sicily has listed it as “Arancini di riso” among Italy’s traditional food products (Italian Ministry of Agriculture).
Arancino or arancina? Palermo versus Catania
In Palermo and western Sicily it is arancina, feminine, and round. In Catania and the east it is arancino, round or pointed, a shape sometimes linked to Mount Etna. The Accademia della Crusca, the authority on the Italian language, accepts both: the choice is geographic (Accademia della Crusca).
They are often said to date from Arab Sicily, between the 9th and 11th centuries. The Crusca finds no written trace before the second half of the 19th century: the first dictionary to list them, in 1857, even describes a sweet dish. In Palermo, on 13 December, Saint Lucy’s day, people eat no bread or pasta: they eat arancine (A. A. Badami, University of Palermo).
Arancini myths
“Only one name is correct”
Arancino and arancina are both right, says the Accademia della Crusca: it depends on the city.“The Arabs invented them in the Middle Ages”
A nice story, but no text mentions them before the second half of the 19th century.“The real recipe has ragù”
The first dictionary to list them, in 1857, describes a sweet dish. Tomatoes were only grown in southern Italy from the early 19th century.“Round means Palermo, pointed means Catania”
In the east the arancino can be round too, and Ragusa and Syracuse are exceptions.
Visit us
Find us & book
On the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, a short walk from Faidherbe-Chaligny metro station.
Getting here from Nation, Faidherbe or ReuillyAddress
273 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine
75011 Paris
Opening hours
- Closed on Tuesdays
- Monday, Wednesday to Sunday: 12-2:30pm and 7-10:30pm
FAQ
Before you come
Where can I eat arancini in Paris?
At Impronta, an Italian restaurant in the 11th arrondissement, 273 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, near Faidherbe-Chaligny metro: vegetarian arancini with mushroom and mozzarella.
How much are the arancini at Impronta?
€4 each, €8 for two, €12 for three.
Are Impronta’s arancini vegetarian?
Yes: parmesan rice, mushroom cream, mozzarella. They are marked vegetarian on the menu.
Arancino or arancina, which is right?
Both. Palermo says arancina, Catania arancino, and the Accademia della Crusca accepts both.
A table for tonight, or for Sunday lunch
Fresh pasta made by hand and pizzas from the Neapolitan oven, on the Faubourg Saint-Antoine.