Sicilian Cuisine

*friendlyRecipes by Antonella

Sicilian cuisine reflects the complexity of this island: a rich history, an ancient culture, and a divide between the rich and the poor which was sharply present in Sicilian society until recently

Land and Sea

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Sicily has always had an economy based on fishing and agriculture, which provided traditional cuisine ingredients like breadcrumbs, olive oil, wine, eggplants, garlic, dry and citrus fruits. Being an island, most traditional dishes are fish and seafood recipes. Nevertheless, Sicily has hosted a number of mountain communities whose main activity was pastoralism: Sicilian food culture is beautifully multifaceted!

A Focus on Sweet Food

Contrasts are often striking in Sicily. The traditional Sicilian dessert is "Pasticcini": huge, vividly coloured and beautifully shaped sweet pies. Traditional pastry was created in aristocratic mansions, but when the Sicilian establishment couldn't afford a lavish lifestyle any more, or when rulers changed, it was kept alive by the nuns: this applies to the most famous of Sicilian sweets:"Cassata". Sicilian tradition was founded by the Arabs: citrus fruits, almonds, ricotta cheese and pistachios are much widely used than cream. Snow on Mount Etna also provided ice all year round: Sicilians claim that ice creams and tasty Granita (here on the right) were invented on this island

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