Here's How To Tell Immediately If A Cannoli Wasn't Traditionally Made

When you're finishing dinner at an Italian restaurant, and the waitress brings over a dessert menu, you'll probably recognize the descriptions for tiramisu and affogato (despite the beloved dessert's hazy origins). Maybe there's even a chocolate-dipped cannoli that comes as a platter of six, perfect for splitting with friends and family at your table. That cannoli might sound good, but then you remember seeing a display case filled with the little pastries upon entering the restaurant — and you recall the trick that you read about in Tasting Table that told you those cannoli were not traditionally made. 

Wherever you are, whether that's strolling the streets of Rome or heading out of an Italian restaurant in southern California, the easiest way to tell that a cannolo was not traditionally made is if you see it sitting pre-filled on the counter. According to every Sicilian under the sun, an authentic cannolo (or cannolo, in its singular form) is always filled on the spot to ensure that the ricotta filling doesn't absorb into the shell, ruining the delicious crisp and turning the pastry into a soggy mess. Some restaurants and pastry shops will display pre-made shells, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, so long as the ricotta filling is piped into the crispy shell after a customer places an order, not before.

Cannoli are a sweet tradition dating back thousands of years, supposedly to when Sicily was controlled by Arab rule. The story goes that in the ninth century, concubines from Caltanissetta crafted the first cannolo to pass the time when the men were away, gathering inspiration for the shape from river reeds and cane stalks (hence the name "cannolo"). In the 11th century, Sicilian nuns supposedly popularized the dessert during religious festivals like Carnevale, where the cannoli became an innuendo for desire. Thanks to these legends, cannoli lovers claim it's impossible to find traditional cannoli outside of Sicily, where the town of Palermo is especially known for the dessert. For those who can't make regular trips to the island, here are 20 of the best spots to grab a cannoli in NYC, instead. 

In Sicily, cannoli are made from simple ingredients, typically pastry dough made with Marsala and a ricotta filling made with either cow's milk or sheep's milk (aka the ingredient traditional Sicilian cannolis always use). The cannoli are sweet but not toothache-inducing, often topped with pistachio crumbles, sugared fruits, or chocolate chips. As the cannoli was adapted by other countries, the degree of toppings changed. You'll often notice that American-Italian cannoli are covered in sprinkles, powdered sugar, and other candies, a big leap from traditional cannoli toppings. While the sweetness of toppings may be up for debate, the one resounding rule for spotting a good cannolo is to steer away from those pre-filled, pre-topped monstrosities.