Although Italy is well-known for its cuisine’s quality and diversity, many argue that there is no finer example of Italian food than that of Sicily, the largest Italian island. Although the food is typically Italian, it has Spanish, Greek, and Arabic influences. Here is an overview of Sicilian cuisine and the best-known Sicilian dishes.
The Produce of Sicily
The volcanoes on the island have made the soil rich and perfect for growing a wide variety of produce. It means that Sicilian cuisine is diverse as so many ingredients are widely available. Some of the best Sicilian produce includes grapes, olives, grain, pistachios, almonds, lemons, vegetables, artichokes, figs, manna, carob, and capers.
Sicilian Cuisine: Seafood
As Sicily is an island, fish and seafood are staple parts of the Sicilian diet. Swordfish, tuna, sea bass, sea bream, and lobster are some ingredients used in many Sicilian dishes. Pasta Alla Scoglio is a popular seafood dish, which is pasta with shrimp, mussels, and clams. Other ingredients include tomato and herbs.
Vegetarian Food in Sicily
Unlike many other parts of Italy, where most meals have meat as the main ingredient, Sicilian dishes are often vegetarian, partly because of the diverse range of vegetables readily available on the island. One popular vegetarian dish is caponata, a vegetable stew that uses eggplant as the main ingredient.
Sicilian Cheese
Like most regions of Italy, Sicily produces cheese, and they have varieties of cheese specific to the island. Caciocavallo is one of the main varieties of cheese, and its name is rather cryptic. It means ‘horse cheese’ even though this cheese is made from cow’s milk. The cheese is aged for at least eight months to give it a sharp flavour, though mature versions of this cheese are aged for up to two years. It is often grated over pasta dishes and is a good accompaniment to strong wines.
Sicilian Cuisine: Meat Dishes
Although many dishes are vegetarian or seafood-based, the island’s cuisine does include meat. They use all parts of an animal, so offal is frequently used. A typical street dish is pane con la milza, a pork spleen sandwich. Another popular dish is jaw, a stew made by stewing the jaw of an animal in broth for hours.
Ice Cream and Desserts
It is believed that ice cream, or gelato as it is also known, was invented in Sicily. Therefore, it is little wonder that the Sicilians eat so much ice cream and prefer this to any other variety of dessert. Other types of desserts are usually cakes or pastries.
Sicilian Cuisine: The 10 Best-Known Sicilian Dishes
Like most locations, some dishes from the island are well-known as they are the most commonly eaten or best reflect the cuisine of the location. According to Great Italian Chefs, the following are the 10 best-known Sicilian dishes.
- Arancini: Breaded and deep-fried risotto
- Caponata: An antipasti dish of aubergines, raisins, pine nuts, and vinegar
- Busiate al pesto trapanese: Pasta with a pesto sauce made using basil, garlic, Pecorino cheese, tomatoes, and almonds
- Raw red prawns: Served raw with lemon juice and olive oil
- Pasta con le sarde: Spaghetti with sardines, anchovies, and fennel
- Pasta alla Norma: Pasta with tomatoes, aubergine, garlic, basil, and ricotta salata
- Sarde a beccafico: Sardines stuffed with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, and raisins
- Involtini de pesce spade: Swordfish rolls with raisins, olives, capers, pine nuts, and lemon
- Granita con brioche: Warm brioche with frozen granita eaten as either breakfast or a dessert
- Cannoli: Deep-fried pastry tubes filled with ricotta
If you want to learn more about Italian regional cuisines, you might like to read about the cuisines of Piedmont, Trentino-Alto Adige, Sardinia, and the Aosta Valley. Let us know your experiences eating Sicilian cuisine or other regional Italian dishes.