The traditional recipe for the "Cucciddatu" of San Giuseppe with sausage and Ragusan caciocavallo.

In Scicli, from today until Sunday, the Cavalcata di San Giuseppe, the splendid parade with horses adorned with flowers.

By Ombretta Grasso

13 March 2026, 10:10

11:21

The traditional recipe for "Cucciddatu" of San Giuseppe with sausage and Ragusan caciocavallo.

Translated by AI

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The Feast of Saint Joseph in Sicily is rich in traditions, festivities, and delicacies made specifically for this occasion. From the traditional rice crispelle (widespread in the eastern area) to the sfinci of Saint Joseph (found in the western area), the zeppole of Saint Joseph. The tradition involves setting up the tables, or altars, of Saint Joseph, votive tables to offer food to the poor of the community in honor of the Holy Family. An ancient tradition where bread is never missing, considered the wealth of the table. The crafted bread is the protagonist, with symbolic shapes like hearts, Saint Joseph's staffs, and the decorated "cucciddatu", blessed and given to those in need. On the tables of Saint Joseph, typical dishes include macco of fava beans, pasta with chickpeas, vegetables, artichokes, oranges, and sweets. The "vampe" that accompanied the journey of the Holy Family - the feast recalls the Flight into Egypt - have disappeared, but the tradition of Saint Joseph endures in numerous centers of Sicily.

For example, the Cavalcata di San Giuseppe in Scicli - from today until Sunday the 15th of March - where the horses in the Saturday evening parade have extraordinary floral decorations, combining the tradition of the beginning of spring with the religious festival. In the dammusi, thousands of violets are woven to create sacred images with symbols or with the Holy Family. The lilies of Saint Joseph that bloom during these days are not missing. The procession of horses and riders winds through the streets of the city where the flames are lit, the bonfires near which people gather in anticipation of the passage of the Holy Family, and every year the most beautiful decoration is awarded. This year the Cavalcata has been brought forward due to the referendum, but the religious festival with the statue of Saint Joseph will continue until March 19.

It is the time when families prepare the Cucciddatu, a special bread that becomes a votive offering and a symbol of abundance. Its circular shape comes from an ancient practical necessity: it allowed pilgrims and knights to slip it into their arms or hang it on the saddles of horses during the reenactment of the Flight into Egypt, bringing it in procession as an offering to the Saint. The tradition of stuffed breads originates from the recovery of bread dough, leftover mixtures that were enriched with whatever was available at home: cheeses, cold cuts, vegetables, tomatoes, aromatic herbs.

Here is the recipe for the Cucciddatu of Scicli proposed by chefs Alessandro Musso and Pierclaudio Ruta

Ingredients (for 4–5 pieces):

• 1 kg of re-milled durum wheat semolina
• 530 ml of lukewarm water
• 180 g of lard
• 23 g of salt
• 12 g of fresh brewer's yeast
• 600 g of local fennel sausage
• 150 g of semi-aged caciocavallo cheese

Procedure

1. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and combine it with the semolina and salt until a compact dough is formed.
2. Let the dough rest covered for about two hours.
3. Incorporate the lard by vigorously working the dough to make it elastic.
4. Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes.
5. Shape the dough into strands and close them into a “ring” creating a central hole.
6. Insert the fresh sausage, removed from its casing, along the circumference of the dough and finish with shavings of caciocavallo.
7. Bake in the oven at 200 °C for about 30 minutes until golden.

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