A gastronomic tour in the wonders of the pearl of the Mediterranean

A melting pot of cultural roots, uses and food traditions Sicily is the pearl of the central Mediterranean, and we would like to tell something about it.

A wonderful Cliff in the southern part of sicily

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula, from which it is separated by the narrow Strait of Messina. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently 3,329 m (10,922 ft) high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate.

The earliest archaeological evidence of human activity on the island dates from as early as 12,000 BC.[By around 750 BC, Sicily had three Phoenician and a dozen Greek colonies and, for the next 600 years, it was the site of the Sicilian Wars and the Punic Wars. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD, Sicily was ruled during the Early Middle Ages by the Vandals, the Ostrogoths, the Byzantine Empire, and the Emirate of Sicily. The Norman conquest of southern Italy led to the creation of the Kingdom of Sicily. It was finally unified under the House of Bourbon with the Kingdom of Naples as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. It became part of Italy in 1860 following the Expedition of the Thousand, a revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification, and a plebiscite.

The temple vally, Agrigento.

Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature, cuisine, and architecture. It is also home to important archaeological and ancient sites, such as the Necropolis of Pantalica, the Valley of the Temples, and Selinunte.

Sicilian cuisine is the style of cooking on the island of Sicily, and it is strictly connected to his history. It shows traces of all cultures that have existed on the island of Sicily over the last two millennia. Although its cuisine has a lot in common with Italian cuisine, Sicilian food also has Greek, Spanish, French and Arab influences.

The Sicilian cook Mithaecus, born during 5th century BC, is credited with having brought knowledge of Sicilian gastronomy to Greece[ his cookbook was the first in Greek, therefore he was the earliest cookbook author in any language whose name is known.

Arancini Siciliani, one of the most famous italian street food.

Like the different regions of neighbouring Italy, the balmy Mediterranean island of Sicily has a distinct cuisine that’s steeped in history. Take a trip to a market and alongside staples like capers, tomatoes, olives and aubergines, all the ingredients will be home-grown, as although Sicilians export their delicious produce, they shun imports, so diet is a true representation of the terrain. The poor infrastructure means food doesn’t travel far either, so people really do eat locally.

Thanks to influxes of different nationalities over many centuries, Sicilian food is a real mixed bag – a fusion cuisine that’s influenced by French, Arabic and North African settlers. The island also has a varied landscape. The city of Catania is on the volcanic side, where it’s difficult to grow as many fresh ingredients and food is heavily influenced by neighbouring Greece. On the side of Palermo, there’s a big Arab influence and couscous is served in lots of restaurants.

A lot of recipes have rice as main ingredient: the main use of rice is in arancini - rice balls that are a staple across the island. In Catania, arancini will be filled with ragu, peas and mozzarella, but if you go to the centre of the island, the arancini will be filled with chicken liver. In the south east of the island, in Syracuse, the rice isn’t cooked with saffron but with tomato and mozzarella. So the recipe for arancini changes according to the fresh ingredients that are available.

Other typical dish is Pasta alla Norma, this dish is typical of the Catania side of the island. It’s a combination of aubergine, tomato sauce and salted ricotta, served with short pasta. Its name comes from Norma - an opera written by Puccini.

About sweets, there are not just cannoli. How not to mention the “cassata”. If there’s a celebration, cassata will be served. It’s quite an Arab dish containing pistachios, candied fruits and ricotta. It's absolutely excellent!

Closing with desserts I hope you are going on the way of your nearest tourist agency to book your ticket to Palermo, rent a car and start your dream tour! See you on the beach!