Holiday Villas in Sicily
A Foodies’ Paradise
Sicily’s history is very much reflected in its famous multifaceted gastronomy, which although predominantly Italian and focused heavily on fresh fish and other seafood, has very strong elements of Arab cuisine; in particular, the herbs and spices of North Africa play an important part in so many Sicilian dishes. The first recorded example of Sicilian food however comes from the 5th century B.C., from a cook named Mithaecus. His writing on his native land’s cuisine was the first documented cookbook in Greece.
Apart from the nearly 100 Michelin star or Michelin rated restaurants on the island, there are endless places to eat wherever you find yourself in Sicily, from your simple ‘trattoria/pizzeria’ that often also serves a very reasonable ‘workmens’ lunch, to ‘osterie’ that offer simple dishes to accompany their particular wines. A ‘ristorante’ serves more sophisticated food but usually has some simpler pasta dishes and more often than not a few types of ‘pizza’ on their menu, to accommodate families with children. Should there really be nothing on the menu that your child can or wants to eat, don’t hesitate to politely ask the waiter if the chef can possibly prepare a simple plate of ‘pasta al pomodoro’ (homemade tomato sauce) for them.
During your villa holiday in Sicily, we recommend that you try the popular street food ‘arancini’, several versions of which can nowadays be found throughout Europe. The original, – first brought to Sicily by the Moors in the 10th Century, is not to be missed. Almost a meal in itself, these fried croquettes are made from risotto rice with a variety of fillings, most commonly beef ragu, mozzarella & tomatoes or aubergines. Traditionally round and golden brown, looking like and named after ‘little oranges’, they are much larger and cone-shaped in the East of the island, possibly imitating the shape of Mount Etna.
Sicilians have a pretty sweet tooth too and you will find an enormous selection of pastries and cakes wherever you stay in Sicily. Look out for the colourful artisan marzipan fruit and the rich and delicious cannoli, a fried pastry tube with a sweet ricotta type filling. Sicily is also famous for its excellent granita, creamy water based ice cream, traditionally flavoured with lemons or other fruit, but of lately also widely available in pistachio, hazelnut and chocolate flavours. An amazingly tasty lactose free alternative to cream based gelato!
However, should these treats sound too rich for you, then why not enjoy a small glass of Marsala, the sweet fortified wine from the Sicilian town of the same name? If it happens to arrive accompanied by a couple of rock hard Tuscan almond biscuits (commonly known as ‘Cantucci’), it is definitely an invitation to ‘dunk’!
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