Sicilian cuisine,
famous for its fine art of mixing ingredients and flavours,
comes from land’s generosity in balance between sea and land,
but more importantly from the heritage that conquerors left on the island.
As the Latin saying goes, ” Siculus coquus et sicula mensa” chef and food
had to be Sicilian in order to eat well.
Long time has passed since then,
but its easy to understand that not much has changed.
Knowledge and flavors together are the perfect combination that allows
us to discover the Sicilian tastes.
Rich fish or meat grills flavored with olive oil and aromatic herbs
but also table olives,
aged ricotta cheese and honey,
date back to the Greek colonization of Sicily,
when tales of banquets of Agrigento‘s tyrants were told in Athens.
Such feasts were always accompanied by a very good wine produced in Sicilian vineyards
already well-known and appreciated at the time.
Besides Greek and Roman heritage,
the greatest contribution to Sicilian cuisine came from three populations:
Arabs, French, and Spanish.
The foreign influence in Sicilian cuisine.
The Arabs introduced the sweet and sour cooking,
aubergines, raisins, spices, rice, chickpeas, pistachios, sugar cane, sweet almonds,
cinnamon, candied fruits, marzipan, citrus fruits and fruits sorbets.
The French introduced in Sicily the use of sauces ,
pies, stuffed meat, meat balls and ragout.
And last but not least the Spanish introduced tomatoes, potatoes,
and chocolate from Americas,
the use of coating in breadcrumbs, omelettes
and “Pan di Spagna”, that is a sponge cake.
However,
its not easy to distinguish among all the contribution that each culture gave to our island.
For example,
its difficult to identify Spanish influences from Arabs one,
because the Arabs also conquered Spain.
Anyway,
by the creative use of such a rich heritage,
many delicius dishes have been created by Sicilian and local chef:
aubergine caponata, cavatelli alla norma, pasta with sardines, with squid ink,
fish soups, boiled octopus, broccoli omelette, broad beans macco, Sicilian meat roll,
sfincioni (typical pizza in Palermo), panelle (chickpea fritters) and rice balls,
just to name a few.
Recently,
some local dishes have become famous thanks to “Inspector Montalbano“,
a character created by Andrea Camilleri (a well known writer from Porto Empedocle near Agrigento).
But the flagship of Sicilian gastronomy is gourmet-pastry making.
A triumph of cakes, sweets and pastries with ricotta cheese,
chocolate, fruits, almons, pistachios, honey in a thousand of colors and combinations.
And obliviously do not forget the cassata or cannoli with ricotta, torrone,
almond pastries, pistachio cookies .
Sometimes pastries and local dishes are creatively revisited by Sicilian chef
to offer new unforgettable pleasures.
so the old saying is confirmed.
ENJOY.