Sicilian products
Among the many quality products of the island, it is impossible not to mention ricotta cheese. Very fresh, it is used to garnish stuffed pasta and pizzas as well as desserts. We should also mention caciocavallo, a spun cheese similar to provolone. The one produced in the province of Ragusa is very famous. Pecorino
, made from sheep's milk, is of Sardinian origin, but it is also produced in Lazio and Sicily. The black pigs of the Nebrodes are used to prepare excellent cold cuts such as prosciutto and salami.The strong currents that run along the coast of southern Sicily and along the Strait of Messina are very rich in plankton and attract a wide variety of species, especially tuna (tonno) and swordfish (pesce spada), whose firm flesh is highly prized. Not to be forgotten are sea bream (sarago/mormona), grouper (cernia), sardines (sarde), anchovies (acciughe), cuttlefish (seppia), octopus (polpo) and langoustines (scampi
). The minuta olive oil from the Nebrodes valley is famous, but there are also other quality products such as the extra virgin olive oil Terraliva Nocellara from Etna or the pistachio from Bronte, grown at the foot of the volcano, not forgetting the almond from Noto. As for fruit, citrus fruits are at the top of the list, with several varieties of delicately bitter blood oranges(sanguinello, tarocco, moro). Sicilians also love prickly pears or fico d'India, the fruit of a cactus with red, tangy flesh.In the kingdom of pasta
As the inventors of spaghetti, Sicilians have nothing to envy their compatriots when it comes to pasta. In Italy, pasta is served as a starter or primo piatto, before a secondo piatto, a main course usually with fish or meat. There are many different types of pasta from Sicily, such as ziti (long tubes), annelli (rings), busiate (worms) and cavatelli
(long gnocchi). Almost every province in Sicily has its own primo piatto: Catania(pasta alla Norma: long pasta with tomato sauce with basil and eggplant), Palermo(pasta con le sarde : sardine spaghetti with pine nuts, fennel, saffron and raisins), Agrigento(cavatelli all'agrigentina: short pasta with tomato basil sauce with ricotta), Trapani(spaghetti alla trapanese: with tomato pesto and sheep's cheese), Messina(pasta con pesce spada: tubular pasta with white wine tomato sauce and swordfish) and Syracuse(spaghetti alla siracusana: with garlic and anchovy sauce sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs). In Ragusa, pasta is seasoned with a local speciality, capuliatu, a preparation based on chopped dried tomatoes, garlic and oregano, mixed with olive oil. Some specialities are more surprising, such as spaghetti ai ricci di mare with sea urchin coral, garlic and parsley, or pasta di maccu di fave with a bean cream. Although the origin of cannelloni is not necessarily clear, Sicilians cook them to perfection. Cannelloni ripieni is a gratin of pasta tubes filled with a mixture of meat, spinach and cheese, topped with tomato sauce and baked au gratin. Similarly, pasta 'ncasciata is a typical Messinian dish made with macaroni mixed with tomato pulp, minced meat, salami, eggplant, caciocavallo, pecorino cheese and basil, all placed in a dish and baked au gratin.Fish, meat and vegetables
Like Portugal has cod, Sicily has tuna. Several products are prepared with this fish such as bottarga di tonno or "Sicilian caviar", pockets of salted tuna eggs, usually fried and served with garlic, olive oil and parsley. Not to mention musciuma (dried tuna) and surra/ventresca, the fatty belly of tuna, grilled or preserved in olive oil. It is also cooked as tonno alla palerminata (with white wine, garlic, anchovies) or tonno alla marinara (with tomato, basil, olives).
Swordfish is prepared as pesce spada alla ghiotta, a dish of swordfish baked with olive oil, tomatoes, onions and olives. The sciabbacheddu fritto (small fried fish) and the sarde a beccafico (rolled sardines stuffed with an aromatic breadcrumb with pine nuts and orange peel) are typical dishes. With an Arab occupation that lasted several centuries, influences from the East have intruded into the Sicilian gastronomy. We find the cuscùs alla trapanese or couscous in the Trapani style, flavored with tomato and saffron, then garnished with fish and seafood.
Meat is less consumed than fish. However, the mountainous areas such as the Nebrodes or the mountains around Palermo provide excellent boar and lamb. Falsomagro is a veal roulade stuffed with sausage meat and hard-boiled eggs while coniglio alla stemperata is a recipe for rabbit simmered with pine nuts, capers, vegetables and a dash of white wine.
On the vegetable and starch side, don't miss the caponata, the perfect combination of southern vegetables (eggplant, tomato, peppers), with garlic, onions, olives and a dash of vinegar. Fiori di zucca ripieni or zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese are briefly fried before being served. The more substantial gattò di patate is a potato gratin with alternating slices of salami, mozzarella and parmesan. Finally, if we have to mention only one rice recipe from Sicily, it would be the arancini, delicious rice balls stuffed and fried in oil. They can be flavored with tomato and stuffed with cheese, meat ragù or ham.
Sicilian cuisine can also be enjoyed in the street and nothing better than a slice of pizza. The term "Sicilian pizza" actually describes several specialties from each province of the island such as the sfincione from Palermo, a brioche pizza with tomato sauce, anchovies and cheese, or the pizza fritta from Catania, a fried calzone topped with cheese, anchovies and mushrooms. The pizzolo of Syracuse is a pizza stuffed with cheese and cold cuts, while in Ragusa they make the scaccia, a rectangular turnover with various toppings (tomato sauce, meat, cheese, cold cuts, etc.).Between sweets, coffee and drinks
Sicilians have a sweet tooth. The famous cassata siciliana is a Genoese cake soaked in maraschino, filled with ricotta, candied fruit and pistachios, decorated with marzipan and finally covered with a white icing. There is also an iced version. Many Italian desserts are associated with religious holidays and the cassata is usually prepared for Easter. Another Sicilian pastry icon, cannoli, are tubes of dough - flavored with white wine - fried and then filled with a creamy ricotta, dark chocolate and candied orange peel. There are more modern versions with pistachio, chocolate, raspberry or even Nutella.
There is also the buccellato, a crispy pastry crown filled with a mixture of almonds, pistachios, honey and dried fruit, prepared for Christmas, or the cassatelle, a type of turnover filled with ricotta, almond and chocolate. On All Saints' Day, you can taste the ossa dei morti (bones of the dead), crunchy cookies with cloves. Finally, the frutti alla Martorana are a specialty of the monastery of Martorana. These marzipan fruits are hand-painted with food coloring and are amazingly realistic.
The Sicilian ice cream will leave you with an unforgettable memory. You will find all flavors, but the specialty is the torrone gelato (almond ice cream). Each Italian region competes with its neighbor for the paternity of ice cream and according to the Sicilians, it was the Arabs in the 10th century who taught them how to make the first sorbets. The cornetto is de rigueur in Sicily, but the ice creams can also be tasted inside a small round bun. Otherwise opt for a granita, made with crushed ice and fruit juice or - more commonly in Sicily - coffee, sometimes called caffè freddo. As in the rest of the country, coffee is serious business. You can of course sip a classic espresso or cappuccino, unless you prefer a corretto, "corrected" with a dash of grappa, or a caffè con panna, covered with whipped cream.Wines and limoncello
Sicilian wines have been famous since ancient times. For lovers of white wine, there are alcamo, catarratto, insolia, grillo and moscato, the latter being reserved for desserts. Among the reds, there are Nero d'Avola, Syrah and Nerello Mascalese. Not to mention cerasuolo di Vittoria, which has a DOCG - the equivalent of a D.O.C. for premium wines in Italy.
However, the most famous Sicilian wine is marsala, made from muscatel and malvasia grapes. Sweet, dark, richly flavored, it is found in the provinces of Trapani - in Marsala, of course, where you can visit many cellars - as well as Palermo and Agrigento. It was an Englishman, John Woodhouse, an exporter of Sicilian products to England, who decided to develop its production in the 18th century. The cremovo is a variant flavored with egg yolks, sweeter, titrating at 16-18 °. Marsala is drunk as an aperitif or used in the preparation of certain pastries, such as tiramisù, for example. We will not forget the limoncello. This lemon liqueur originating from Naples is also produced in Sicily. Finally, Unesco has registered the cutting of the vine in a goblet on the island of Pantelleria as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
