'Mpanatigghi

What it is

Mpanatigghi are a sweet pastry from the town of Modica in south-eastern Sicily. They look like a simple half-moon turnover, folded from a short, crumbly dough made with lard, with the edges pressed together with a fork. Inside lies a filling that defies expectation: minced beef or veal, dark chocolate, sugar, almonds and spices such as cinnamon and cloves.

The combination might seem unusual to visitors expecting only fruit or cream in a Sicilian sweet, but the meat is not there as a trick. The beef provides body and a faint savoury depth that grounds the sweetness of the chocolate and spices. The result is a dense, rich pastry in which the savoury notes never overpower the sugar, a balance that has made it one of the town's signature sweets.

The Spanish connection and the nuns

The origin of mpanatigghi is usually linked to the period when Sicily was under Spanish rule. The name is thought to derive from the Spanish empanadilla or empanada, a small filled turnover that may have served as the template for the local pastry, and some accounts date it to the 16th century. Chocolate from the Americas, which arrived in Europe through Spain, found a lasting home in Modica's kitchens.

A second account places the creation of the pastry within a convent. In this version, nuns hid minced meat, forbidden during Lent, inside a sweet chocolate pastry to sustain the preaching friars who travelled between convents during the fast. The sturdy lard dough and the dense, spiced filling also kept well, making them suited to travel.

Whether born from Spanish tradition or monastic ingenuity, the pastry became a local speciality. Once associated with Lent, it is now made all year round. It is not found widely across Italy, but remains a signature treat of Modica and its surroundings.

How it is made

The pastry begins with a short dough made from flour, sugar, egg yolks and lard. The lard gives the crust its characteristic crumbly texture that melts in the mouth. The dough is rolled out thin and cut into discs, which are topped with the mixture of meat, chocolate, almonds, sugar and spices, then folded over to form a half-moon shape.

The edges are sealed with a fork, and the top is nicked to let steam escape during baking. The pastries are baked until golden and are often finished with a dusting of sugar. The filling uses the grainy chocolate typical of Modica, worked at low temperature so that the sugar crystals do not melt, which links mpanatigghi directly to the town's most famous sweet speciality, cioccolato di Modica.

Curious facts

• Meat in a sweet. The inclusion of minced beef in a sweet pastry is the defining feature of mpanatigghi, creating a savoury-sweet balance that distinguishes them from other Sicilian sweets.
• Spanish roots. The name likely derives from the Spanish empanadilla, a reminder of the centuries of Spanish rule over the island.
• A Lenten disguise. One tradition holds that nuns hid meat inside the chocolate filling to feed travelling friars during Lent.
• Modica chocolate. The filling uses Modica's traditional grainy chocolate, linking the pastry to the town's broader confectionery heritage.
• A local treat. Unlike many Italian sweets found nationwide, mpanatigghi remain a speciality of Modica and are rarely seen outside this part of Sicily.

Where to try it

The best place to eat mpanatigghi is a traditional pastry shop in Modica. These shops often display them in glass cases or keep them in tins, as the pastries keep well for several days and are eaten at room temperature. A visit offers a chance to taste them alongside other local confections.

The pastries pair naturally with a strong coffee. The bitterness of the coffee cuts through the sweetness of the chocolate and sugar, balancing the rich lard dough. This combination is a standard accompaniment in Modica's pastry shops, where visitors often pause for a moment in the quiet of the old town.