Eating in Sicily
Sicilian cuisine inherited something by every population which inhabited the island. Even the English, who dominated Sicily only a brief period, gave an important contribution to the history of the wine Marsala.
Such complex events are mixed with the unrivalled natural exuberance of the island, which contributes to high quality gastronomic products: wines owe much to the lava which fertilizes the lands; the sea is rich in tuna and swordfish; the caper is the king of the minor islands.
Street Food
The animated open-air street markets in Palermo offer a clear sample of the richness in colors and flavors of the city. The markets Vucciria, the Capo, Ballarò and Borgo Vecchio are the best places to have a taste of the so called “street food”, once referred to as cuisine “dei buffettieri” from the French “buffet”.
Those who like strong tastes will love “sthigghiole”, caul-wrapped bunches of lamb, calf or pork bowels flavored with unions and parsley and grilled over the coals. Itinerant sellers with bike-carts carry “frittola” (fat trimmings of pork) in baskets with a cloth on top, to keep it hot. It is served very spicy on a piece of wax-paper. “Quarume” -boiled tripe- is prepared in big cauldrons and served hot. On the sidewalk in front of some fry-shops there are stalls preparing “pani ca’ meusa”, a sandwich stuffed with spleen and offal of calf, boiled and then sautéed in big vats. It can be tasted in two versions: schietto, flavored with salt and lemon, or maritato, with a sprinkle of grated caciocavallo or ricotta cheese.
A specialty is the pane e panelle, a sandwich stuffed with chickpea fritters. Boiled octopus is usually well arranged on the stalls on the vendors, and it is served with lemon. It is also possible to taste vegetables, as boiled potatoes, flavored with salt, artichokes and French bean in accordance with the season. Crossing the threshold of the fry-shops is a great risk for the figure: timballo of anelletti, gattò with rice or with potatoes, sardines beccafico style, marinated fish, fried or stewed eggplants, trigghiola (small fried red mullets), fried cardoons and cauliflowers, baked artichokes, cazzilli (potatoes croquettes), caponata, sfincione (soft pizza topped with tomato sauce, onions, salted sardines and caciocavallo cheese). They are displayed on colorful stalls.
In fall the piece de résistance is the caldarroste, chestnuts roasting over an open fire, which will warm you in the dull weather afternoons.
In conclusion, while wandering the streets in Palermo visitors will not surely starve!
Territorial Products
Sicily is the big planet of the cuisine. It is endowed with the outstanding products of farmland and livestock husbandry. Vineyards and olive groves are the treasures of the island. The former is extended on a wide part of the West Sicily, giving high-quality wines such as the Marsala wine and the Malvasia delle Lipari; the latter is cultivated on the slopes of the Mount Etna and in the valleys surrounding Trapani and Agrigento.
Livestock husbandry is excellent on the luxuriant setting of the Madonie Mountains, giving a high quality production of cheese, meat and meat prepared products which are worth a taste.
The fruit and vegetable offer is varied: eggplants, tomatoes, artichokes, bread beans, oranges, grape, prickly pears, capers and the outstanding pistachios from Bronte and the Zebib from Pantelleria. Tuna and swordfish fishing are worth mentioning because they are ancient traditional activities rich in charm.
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