Sicilian cuisine

Sicilian cuisine is one of the oldest and most diverse regional cuisines of Italy. It is characterized by the rich returns of agriculture and fishing and the influences of other cultures in the history of Sicily. In simple terms describe the kitchen with pasta, pesce e pasticceria, ie pasta, fish and desserts. Pasta dishes are mainly served with vegetables, fish is used much more often than meat, and the Sicilian sweets are among the most substantial and most colorful in the world. The diversity of Sicilian cuisine is that each recipe is enriched and refined in the various provinces with very different ingredients.

Basic ingredients

Basic ingredients of Sicilian cuisine are primarily products of their own agriculture and fishing.

Among the main producing products include lemons, oranges, tomatoes and olives, which are used both for loading and for the production of olive oil. Other products include durum wheat for making pasta, peppers, artichokes, a variety of kitchen herbs and last but not least eggplants that occur in Sicily in many recipes. Almonds, pine nuts and pistachios are used both to refine the dishes as well as many desserts and pastries.

In the Sicilian cuisine is often made ​​use of wild plants and herbs that are either eaten raw, cooked or pickled. These include wild fennel, wild asparagus, borage ( Borage ), wild chard, artichoke thistle, capers and chicory ( chicory ).

Among the fish species used in the kitchen most often include tuna, swordfish, anchovies, sardines, and numerous crustaceans. Fish is usually fresh, but also conserved in olive oil, smoked or dried. Small fish are often fried and served as an accompaniment to other dishes. Meat dishes consist mainly of lamb, rabbit or pig.

In addition to the income of the agriculture and fisheries cheese is produced in many regions of Sicily. Ricotta is used mainly in the manufacture of pastry to creamy desserts and fillings, but also for filling Cassatelle ( Sicilian ravioli) or as a sauce for pasta dishes. Other typical cheeses are the Ragusano, the pear-shaped Caciocavallo and pecorino siciliano. The young, still soft pecorino, also called Primo Sale, is often used instead of the usual mozzarella in Italy, the ripe and flavorful pecorino instead of grated parmesan.

Influence of foreign cultures

The troubled history of Sicily is reflected in today's kitchen. So salty ricotta, honey and wine came with the Greeks olives, to the island. Already in ancient Syracuse was BC founded a cooking school in the 5th century and written a cookbook: Il cuoco siciliano, Sicilian chef.

The Romans began to intensively grow durum wheat in the interior of the island and began to challenge a kind of ice cream prepared by it sweetened the ice of Mount Etna with honey and colored with fruit juice. From them we learned to prepare even bratwurst and Maccu among others. Maccu is a puree of fava beans, onions and garlic, which is eaten with bread or pasta. It was for centuries the main food of the peasants who took the court in clay amphoras with the field.

The Arabs introduced rice, citrus fruits, new spices, sugar, almonds and marzipan. By the Normans, you took over the preparation of stockfish and roulades. The Spaniards brought not only new types of vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants and peppers also the knowledge with the production of chocolate. The proximity to the African continent is located in the area between San Vito lo Capo, Trapani, where different types of couscous is cooked.

Most sustainable have influenced Sicilian cuisine from today's perspective the Arabs. The introduction of rice preparation of Arancini, small rice balls began, and with the Arab sweet tooth started the production of traditional sweets such as the cassata or Frutta martorana.

Selection of typical dishes

Antipasti - Starters

For Sicily typical starter are Arancini, fried rice balls filled vary by region or otherwise shaped. Another specialty is caponata, a sweet and sour dish prepared from pepper, eggplant, capers and onions. Popular snacks are Sfincione, a pizza from sweet bread dough, which is evidenced in several ways or Scaccia, stuffed dumplings.

Primi piatti - 1st gear

For pasta dishes alongside spaghetti macaroni preferably be used. Typical noodle dishes include pasta alla Norma from a recipe from Catania, further Pasta con le sarde with sardines and pasta con le melanzane with eggplant.

Secondi piatti - 2nd gear

Meat dishes are prepared mainly in the mountainous regions in the interior of the island. Specialties are the Farsu MAGRU, a roast, and the Involtini alla siciliana, lush filled rolls.

Along the coast fish dishes are preferred. Swordfish from the area of ​​Messina, tuna from the waters off Trapani or sardines are usually alla griglia cooked, eaten grilled and thus only with salad and fresh bread. Couscous is served only with boiled fish, cauliflower or on Maundy Thursday with pork and not, as is usual in North Africa, with mutton or chicken. A particular specialty is stuffed fish such as the Sarde a beccafico.

Dolci - Desserts

As the Sicilian Dolci, so the sweet desserts are very rich and filling, the meals are instead often topped off with fruit, fresh fruit salad or cheese.

Selection of typical desserts

Pastry and confectionery play in the Sicilian cuisine for centuries a major role. They used to be made in the monasteries and primarily for clergy and nobles. Today they are offered both to religious holidays and family celebrations in large quantities. There are, for example, traditional cassata, a layer cake from Biscuitteig, ricotta and candied fruit, and at Christmas the Pignolata. On the feast of Saint Lucia on December 13, the dessert Cuccia is prepared.

The numerous cafes and ice cream parlors offer a variety of flavors of ice cream and granita. Worth seeing are the Sicilian pastry shops. In the windows pile up next to mountains of almond, pistachio and pine pastry ricotta stuffed pasta rolls also, the cannoli and deceptively real-looking marzipan fruits Frutti della Martorana.

Selection of typical drinks

One of the main meals you usually drink wine. The soil and climate in Sicily are ideal for wine growing, which is operated since the arrival of the Greeks. Today, all the provinces of the island produce wine and Sicily established by introducing modern methods Kelter on the European wine market.

The red wines have an alcohol content of 12.5 percent to 13 percent and are often drunk in the evening to fried or grilled. Among the well-known red wines include Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Nero d'Avola and Perricone. The dry white wines and rosé wines with an alcohol content of 11.5 to 12 percent taste especially with fish, poultry and pasta dishes.

In addition, various dessert wines are produced from the world famous Marsala, Malvasia delle Lipari, or the Vino di mandorle, an almond wine.

More typical Sicilian drinks are the limoncello, a lemon liqueur, and the Amaro Siciliano, a herbal liquor that is often drunk after meals as a digestive.