arancini

plural noun

aran·​ci·​ni ˌä-rän-ˈchē-nē 

: rounded balls of cooked rice with savory fillings (such as mozzarella cheese) that are coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried

The lobster arancini and pureed potato croquettes captured his attention, and the pork and beef meatballs were worthy of a "best of" medal in Schaffer's eyes.

—Dana Hatic

Examples of arancini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The uncommon mashup results in dishes such as Bolognese arancini balls and roasted eggplant ravioli, as well as gnocchi cheese alfredo. —Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 31 Mar. 2023

Menu items include Bolognese arancini and cacio e pepe pasta fritti — crispy pasta bites with Parmesan and pepper. —Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 29 Sep. 2022

Besides pizzas with compelling toppings, try the arancini-like zucchini cakes to start, or share the Hot Mess salad: artichokes, cherry peppers and fresh mozzarella with greens in herb vinaigrette. —jsonline.com, 21 June 2022

Sicilian arancini have been delighting Italians since the 10th century with their combination of rice and savory fillings. —Casey Barber, CNN, 18 May 2022

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Italian, plural of arancino, literally, "little orange," from arancio "orange" (borrowed from Arabic nāranj, with misdivision of the Italian article un) + -ino, diminutive suffix (going back to Latin -īnus, suffix of appurtenance) — more at orange entry 1, -ine entry 1

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above