A Taste of Sicily

The Mediterranean Diet

by Carole Kotkin

Sicily is one of the Mediterranean’s most intriguing destinations, unique unto itself rather than a mere “part of Italy.” In a Mediterranean context Sicily lies at the very heart of things. It stands guard between Iberia and the Middle East, closer to Tunisia in North Africa than to Rome and Naples in the boot of Italy. Sicily's vast culinary traditions are as diverse as the inhabitants and history of this island, the largest in the Mediterranean; a crossroads of east meets west for millennia. The island's gastronomic heritage reflects a melting pot of influences and an endless array of exciting recipes. The mild, sunny Mediterranean climate makes traveling in Sicily pleasant all year round. Even in winter you can take time out from sightseeing to sunbathe on golden beaches. It’s a land of breathtaking coasts and lush tropical greenery, of layered cultures, fallen empires, and ancient myths. The most spectacular feature of Sicily is Mt. Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano. It is said to be visible from any location in Sicily. From Palermo, the capital city, you can combine excursions into the countryside with visits to fascinating archaeological sites. Palermo is a living museum with architectural styles ranging from the ancient to art nouveau.

I recently traveled to Palermo to attend an international Oldways Symposium on the Mediterranean Diet. Oldways is the widely respected nonprofit "food issues think tank" praised for translating the complex details of nutrition science into the familiar language of food. Best known for its Mediterranean Diet Pyramid, Oldways develops and organizes a wide variety of programs and materials about healthy, traditional and sustainable food choices for consumers, scientists, the food industry, health professionals, chefs, journalists and policy makers. Sicily is a place where the Mediterranean diet is a fact of life—a traditional pattern of healthy eating that consists of consuming lots of fruits, vegetables, pastas, grains, beans, nuts, and a little red wine too. And, always, olive oil and garlic. Fish, poultry, eggs, sweets and red meat are eaten less frequently. The Mediterranean Diet is consistently labeled as the healthiest diet in the world.

Geography has shaped Sicily's history, and history has shaped its traditions, including its eating habits. Sicilian cooking is a true "cucina rustica"-- an earthy and flavorful mixture that encapsulates 2,800 years of invasion and conquest. Greek, Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, French, German, and Spanish all have contributed to the province’s delicious culinary tradition. If you like good food, you will find the island a gastronomical paradise. Recipes vary from village to village and are passed down verbally from mother to daughter, mother-in-law to daughter-in-law. The signature dishes of Palermo are different from those of Catania, which are again distinct from those of Trapani. There are also classic dishes that are widely popular island-wide: pasta alla norma (with eggplant, ricotta salata, and tomato), all manner of swordfish and tuna, cassata (a rich ricotta-based cake), and cannoli. From North Africa came couscous and spicy stews. From the Mediterranean of the ancients came a taste for sweet-salt-tart combinations reflected in the eggplant and tomato caponata di verdure, bright salads of sweet oranges, red onion and black pepper; and pasta con le sarde, a sauce of wild fennel, raisins and nuts with anchovies and sardines. The Strait of Messina, which separates Sicily from the mainland, is one of the world's great fishing areas. Swordfish, sardines, and anchovies are found everywhere. The best known Sicilian seafood dish is spaghetti con sarde, tossed with sardines and olive oil. Most fish is simply grilled or roasted, perhaps drizzled with a little olive oil or marinated first with white wine and herbs, and perhaps garnished with olives or a wedge of lemon. You’ll find red mullet cooked in an orange and lemon sauce. No single ingredient, not even tomatoes, dominates the food. Dishes are perfumed with cinnamon, anise and clove and scented with basil, rosemary and garlic. Wheat, along with some other grains, has been the mainstay of Sicilian agriculture for 2,000 years. Scholars believe pasta was created in Sicily 1000 years ago. It is usually served with vegetables, seafood, cheese or meat sauce and can be the first course or the whole meal, but it’s always present. No Sicilian meal is complete without a loaf of bread, usually made from semolina flour or a bottle of olive oil. Sicilians take their olive oils very seriously. Just ask noted Italian cookbook author, Nancy Harmon Jenkins (The Oldways Table), who writes, “Mediterranean cooks happily use olive oil for all their cooking needs, from braising to roasting to deep-fat frying, and wouldn’t dream of using anything else.”

Sicily’s citrus crop is very important, especially lemons, that show up in many Sicilian desserts. The infamous Sicilian sweet tooth dates back to the cultivation of sugarcane, without which there would be no cannoli, no marzipan, no nougat, no candied fruit, no cassata, and no gelato. Sicily’s ubiquitous almond-based cookies and sweets are well known. In particular, frutta martorana, colorful marzipan fruits originally made in the fifteenth century by cloistered nuns in a Palermo church called La Martorana, are among the islands most popular treats. Sicily also grows an abundance of almonds, figs, capers, prickly pears, and carob. The most popular Sicilian breakfast is, curiously, granita or gelato eaten on a slightly sweet brioche bun (their version of an ice-cream sandwich).

A pilgrimage to bazaar-like Catania and Vucciria markets in Palermo are a must. Fish stalls are crowned with swordfish; vegetable sellers display mounds of artichokes complete with stalks, pyramids of oranges and hillocks of green cauliflowers between mountains of fava beans. Olives glistened in trays adorned with sprigs of rosemary. The entire digestive systems of goats and cows were hung at head height with livers, kidneys and stomachs attached as if to guarantee their origin. Beyond the stalls, dark interiors shelves are stacked with jars of tuna and sausages of mullet roe. Plenty of stalls sell the Sicilian equivalent of a Big Mac: deep-fried spleen served in a bun. Sea urchins are eaten raw at the stall, with a squeeze of lemon. Salted sardines are sold from wooden barrels. Tripe is cleaned while you wait (to be cooked and eaten with tomato salsa), blood sausages are boiled and sold hot--fast food Sicilian style.

Sicily’s warm, dry climate, sloping hillsides and rocky soil make it ideal for growing grapes—on par with California’s Napa Valley. A new generation of 17 Sicilian DOC wines such as Eloro, Etna, Alcamo, and Santa Margherita di Belice are gaining worldwide recognition. Marsala, one of the most famous dessert wines in the world is made in the province of Trapani.

Nowhere in Italy did the Greeks encompass the country so completely as in Sicily. Siracusa’s Teatro Creco, built in 5th Century BC, Agrigento’s doric temple, and Segesta’s ruins of an ancient city are just a few examples some of the best-preserved Greek outdoor ruins that rival any in Greece or Rome.

Where to Eat:

Ristorante La Scuderia, Viale del Fante 9, Palermo, 39 091 520323

Azienda Fantanasalsa, Agriturisimo near Segesta, 39 0923 591001, www.fontanasalsa.it

Antica Focacceria San Francisco, 58 Via Paernostro, 091-330264. Their specailities include guasteddu, a spleen sandwich and arancini, or rice balls, and panelle, chick pea fried dough.

What to See:

Palatine Chapel

This is Palermo’s most visited monument. Step through the doorway and you'll feel as if you are standing in a jewelry box - the walls are covered with glowing 850-year-old gold mosaics. The painted wooden ceiling, built by Arab craftsmen, seems exotic and mysterious.

Palermo Cathedral’s different architectural styles are due to a long history of additions and restorations.

Beyond the City:

Monreale is a little hill town five miles from Palermo, with narrow streets and fine cake shops. Monreale Cathedral is intense and huge with every inch of the walls covered with 800-year-old golden mosaics.

Erice is a walled medieval mountain top town close to Trapani, famed for its pastries.

Where to Stay:

Hilton Grand Hotel Villa Iglea Palermo, (39 091 631 2111, sales.villaigiepalermo@ilton.com) features spacious rooms overlooking the Gulf of Palermo; internet access, swimming pool, tennis court and fitness room. It’s necessary to take a cab into the center of town.

Masseria San Giovanni Sgadari, Agrituristica (39 091 687190, www.masseriasgadari.com) is a country house in the middle of an extensive country estate midway between Palermo and Catania. There are six apartments in which to enjoy the enchanting landscape.

Azienda Fantanasalsa, Agriturisimo near Segesta, (39 0923 591001, www.fontanasalsa.it) is a farm resort overlooking the farm’s olive grove, the sea, the Egadi islands and Mount Erice in the province of Trapani.