t Foodies packed to meet chefs and sample treats at Cibo Nostrum in Catania
The salty crunch of panelle, the oozing creamy centre of cannoli, the inky black of spaghetti nera coiled on the plate, inviting morsels of sea urchin and tender mussels - Sicily’s food is a feast for the senses. Innovative street food and Michelin-starred dining make this the perfect foodie destination.
t Foodies packed to meet chefs and sample treats at Cibo Nostrum in Catania
Tantalize your tastebuds on a StrEaty (www.streaty.com) tour through Sicily’s dynamic street food. Try stick-to-your-ribs local delicacies, such as frittula (Sicilian street meat) and caponata (briny aubergine). Sample more informal flavours at a sagra (food festival). Swanky Cibo Nostrum is the biggest, but the gelato makes Bronte’s Sagre del Pistachio a favourite.
Indulge in out-of-this-world dishes cooked by Sicily’s culinary new wave. Savour plates of purple potato gnocchi and black cavatelli with sea urchin at Michelin-starred Patrizia Di Benedetto’s Bye Bye Blues (www.byebyeblues.it). At Licata’s chic La Madia (www.ristorantelamadia.it), sink your teeth into reinvented Sicilian classics served with a pinch of nostalgia.
Take a slice of your holiday home with you. Zuleima cultural tours (www.zuleima.org) put you in Nonna’s kitchen so you can learn the secrets of making authentic homemade ravioli with herby ricotta or pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines and saffron), using recipes passed through generations. Alternatively, join a workshop led by award-winning chef James Beard at Anna Tasca Lanza (www.annatascalanza.com), and discover the joy of making eratto (tomato paste), foccaccia and other Sicilian food staples from scratch.
Oozing with thick, lemony-sweet ricotta, crispy cannoli is the quintessential Sicilian dolce (sweet). Crunch your way through every variety you can think of – and some you can’t – at Palermo’s annual Cannolo Festival. In contrast, cassata Siciliana is all melt-in-your-mouth, liqueur-drenched sponge wrapped in marzipan and a shell of pale green icing. Easier to grab on the go: gelato – pure joy in a cone.
Formed in response to the island’s growing reliance on processed fast food, Slow Food Sicilia (www.slowfoodsicilia.it) seeks to bring seasonal ingredients grown locally back to the heart of Sicilian cooking. The cause also seeks to protect “at risk” produce, such as pane nero (black bread) from Castelvetrano and cartucciaru melon, that was falling out of favour. The idea has been picked up by KM0 (www.km0slowfood.com), which seeks to source food within 1 km (half a mile) of its kitchen.
DISCOVER Sicily Your Way
Pane Cunzatu
Each village claims that its version of this savoury, Arab-style herby bread is the best.
Arancina
Sicilian soul food, these deep-fried rice balls stuffed with ragu or caciocavallo cheese are best scoffed portare via (on the go).
Panelle
Delicate fritters made with chickpea flour. Try packed into a roll with cazzilli (potato croquets).
Granita con brioche
Subtly sweet toothsome rolls and a tumbler of shaved ice poured over with espresso –Sicily’s breakfast of champions.
Pani ca’ meusa
This moreish panino overflows with salty, chewy chopped veal spleen simmered in lard.