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Italian cuisine
Sicily
a concise guide
for diners & travelers
Roots of Sicilian cooking
Though several Mediterranean powers of old controlled all or parts of Sicily, it was the conquering
Arabs who made the most enduring culinary imprint on this mountainous island anchored off the tip of the
Italian peninsula. During the Middle Ages, the Arabs introduced the now famous Sicilian art of making sweets:
sugary ices and rich pastries studded with candied fruits and almond paste.
Popular foods of Sicily
Flavorful pasta and breads are well liked in Sicily. So are fruits and vegetables, which include tomato, eggplant,
artichoke (all of which are frequently stuffed), citrus fruits, almonds and olives.
 Olive oil is Sicily's
favorite cooking medium (except in Palermo, where cooks prefer butter).
Ricotta is
Sicily's favorite cheese, bar none.
Seafood including tuna, swordfish and sardines
is the leading protein source because of its abundance. Meat is usually tough and expensive, owing to a lack of
suitable pasturage.
Famous specialties
of Sicily
 Caponata - Chopped vegetables
such as eggplant (the most essential ingredient), tomatoes, onions, green peppers, olives, and celery
individually cooked in olive oil, then combined. Caponata is similar in concept to the French Ratatouille.
Pasta con le Sarde - Macaroni
cooked with sardines along with various flavorful seasonings. This dish is particularly popular in Palermo.
Cassata alla Siciliana - A
sponge cake sliced into several layers and spread with a Ricotta cheese, cream, candied fruit, chocolate, and
liqueur mixture, and then reassembled and covered with chocolate icing. Cassata alla
Siciliana may also refer
to an Italian ice studded with candied fruits.
Cannole - A confection
consisting of a hard, tubular pastry shell stuffed with Ricotta cheese enriched with cream, candied fruit, and
sometimes chocolate.
Wines of Sicily
Sicily's best known wine is Marsala, a fortified wine similar to Sherry and Madeira. It can be dry or sweet
and is widely used by chefs as a cooking wine. The best-known table wine is the dry white
Mt. Etna.
Best city for gourmets
Palermo is the top all around food city in Sicily. Criteria include cooking, food markets, cooking
ingredients, cooking schools, beverages, dining and restaurants. Siracusa is the runner-up.
Click a Italian region to
learn about its cuisine
and famous dishes
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