Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
onto the menu, and Sicilians will shriek with horror if you sprinkle it on the wrong sauce.
Ricotta cheese, both dried and fresh, often features on Sicilian menus. Eaten really fresh
(less than 24 hours old), it tastes like heaven.
Pecorino
cheese is another favourite. Made
of sheep's milk, it has a strong aroma and is often added to sauces; the most distinctive
pecorini
come from the Madonie and Nebrodi mountains, and are highlighted as import-
ant but endangered by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity.
Mandorle
(almonds) usually come blanched. They are widely cultivated throughout Si-
cily and they add a wonderful crunch to many a dish. Almonds are also used to make one
of the most common
granite
(flavoured crushed ice), as well as wonderful biscuits. The
Sicilians have invented
latte di mandorla,
a delicious cold drink that is basically almond
pulp and water; it is drunk mostly in the west, where you can also buy it in supermarkets,
and it's freshly made in many bars.
Cappuccino and caffè latte are served everywhere at breakfast time, but you'll stick out like a sore thumb
if you ask for milk in your coffee after noon - at lunch and dinner time, Sicilians only drink it black.
Green
Good olive oil is one of the prime delicacies of Sicilian cuisine, and several traditional
olive varieties have been grown on the island for centuries. The main types are
biancolilla
(southwestern Sicily),
nocellara
and
ogliarola messinese
(northeast),
cerasuola
(between
Sciacca and Paceco) and
nocellara del Belice
(Trapani province).
You'll detect the smell of
basilico
(basil) wafting from most Sicilian kitchens. While
the herb is used in northern Italy mainly for making pesto, the Sicilians have taken this a
step further, making
pesto alla Trapanese
with its fragrant leaves. In this dish, basil is
combined with blanched and peeled tomatoes, grated
pecorino
cheese, a healthy clove or
two of garlic and some crushed almonds. The ingredients are bashed together with a pestle
and mortar, some good olive oil is added, and the sauce is mixed with short pasta.
Pistachios are hugely popular in Sicily. Brought to Sicily by the Arabs and cultivated on
the fertile volcanic-soil plains of the island, the nut is used in both savoury and sweet re-
cipes - some of the best ice cream is made from pistachios. And the good news is that, if
eaten regularly, the pistachio can significantly reduce cholesterol (although that unfortu-
nately does not apply when eaten in ice-cream form!).
