Cassata is the most typical Sicilian dessert. The name comes from the Arabic “quas’at”, which refers to the round bowl that gives the cake its shape. In the 9th and 10th centuries the Arabs had brought oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins and almonds to Palermo. All of these ingredients were combined with the local cheese on the island, creating the Sicilian Cassata. At first it was baked, but then in the Martorana de Palermo monastery a marzipan with herbal extract was made, called Martorana, turning the Cassata into a dessert that is served cold.

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