Originally named Zancle, a Greek colony founded in the 8th century BC, Messina counts today about 270,000 inhabitants. It boasts a renowned cuisine that much owes to centuries of intense commercial and cultural exchanges. Rice and cod-fish are among the city’s best appreciated foods, used as integral ingredients in many dishes. Other specialties are most renowned, such as the sword-fish and mint or lamb and vegetables pasta, that are then flavored with delicious sauces. Some patisserie specialties are also worth-mentioning, most notably the Riso Nero (black rice) and the Crocchette di riso (rice croquettes).
