Peaches, pears, strawberries and cherries have never looked or tasted so good … in fact few Sicilian parents have problems persuading their children to eat fruit, and particularly when it comes in the form of sweet sticky almond goodies. Made from almond marzipan, Martorana fruit (also known as pasta reale) is an intrinsic part of Sicilian food, shaped in custom-made moulds and then decorated to look as authentic as possible.
Dating back to the Middle Ages when the Arabs probably introduced almond marzipan to Sicily, Martorana fruit started life at the Martorana church door, made by the nuns and hung from fruit trees to impress a visiting bishop one Easter. In fact the sweet treats are now most commonly seen in pasticcerie across Sicily in October, following the September almond harvest and during the lead-up to All Saints Day on 1 November.
Martorana fruit
Traditional flavours of Sicily