Sicilian Cuisine

Blog Post 3

April 20th 2015

Mike Giunta

In traditional Sicilian cooking is a combination of the many cultures that occupied Sicily over the years. The cultures that influenced the cuisine include: Greek, Arab, Spanish, and French. The Arab influences brought along rice, pepper, sugar, and raisins. The French brought along with them tomatoes, maize, and cocoa. Finally, the Greeks occupation brought olives and fish.  Tomatoes and eggplants are traditional foods in Sicily. Food in Sicily is primarily centered on using homegrown vegetables straight from the garden to the plate. Because of Sicily’s proximity to the sea, fish provide a source of income and also a source of food. Some of these fish are swordfish and sea bass. Although because Sicily is so close to Africa, in some areas, the culture and cuisine in particular is influenced by their closeness to Africa. One of Sicily’s most famous foods is the cannoli. The cannolli is a tubular formed piece of dough that is filled with sugar. The origin of the cannoli is significant because it can be traced back to Arab occupation when Sicily was at that time the Emirate of Sicily. Using fresh vegetables, caponata is made of eggplants that are fried along with vinegar, raisins, pine nuts, and capers. All of the ingredients can be homegrown or picked up fresh at the market. Another rather interested and definitive Sicilian meal is Speghetti ai ricci. This dish includes seafood, which is an integral part of their culture because of the location of the place. The seafood is sea urchins which are mixed together with the pasta.

http://www.italianfoodforever.com/2011/10/caponata/

ttps://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/sicily/sicilian-cuisine-cannoli-arancini

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannoli

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicilian_cuisine