Sicily is an “island out of time… a beach on which the tides of successive civilizations have heaped in disorder their assorted treasure”. Gary Tippet
Walter Potenza
What are we talking about when we discuss “Italian food?” It’s the age-old question: Italian vs. Italian American. We get so caught up in the details of what the difference is between Italy’s food and the food developed by Italy’s immigrants that we often forget about the behemoth of cuisine that sits just at the toe of Italy’s boot: Sicily.
Sicilian food is contradictory, just like the Sicilian culture. It is an odd mixture of Italian, Greek, Arab, French, Spanish, and North African. Its dinner plates are living odes to the number of peoples that have conquered, colonized, settled, ruled, and emigrated here. Every region in Italy has its unique culinary traditions, but to lump Sicilian food under the over-arching category of “Italian food” does a disservice to this island’s culture and proud history.
The first recorded example of Sicilian food 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 – and the first cookbook in the world in which the author’s name was well-known and identified. Sicily was first inhabited by an “ancient people of Italy,” with small groups from Egypt and Spain. However, the island was not put on the map until the Greeks colonized it. They left behind grand ruins and theaters in places like Siracusa and Taormina, but also – significantly – brought olives and grapes with them, introducing some of the most important crops to the region and to what we know of Sicily and Italy today. The Greek diet – which today is so affectionately called “the Mediterranean diet” – leans heavily on fresh fish, vegetables, and grains.
From there came the Germanic tribes (hence, Sicily’s love of meat dishes), Byzantine conquests, and Arab rule. Under the Sultan, Sicily introduced things like oranges, lemons, pine nuts, sugarcane, eggplants, and a love of spices such as saffron and cinnamon. Arab influence on Sicilian food runs deep. Arancini, for example, is a Sicilian favorite. It’s no wonder: balls of risotto, stuffed with cheese, meat, tomatoes, and peas are breaded and then fried, creating a Mediterranean dish reminiscent (somewhat) of cooked macaroni and cheese (but infinitely better).
There are endless variations of what filling to use in arancini, but the risotto is constant. And many claim that it was the Arab settlers that first introduced Sicily to durum wheat, which is crucial to making risotto and pasta. The original recipe for arancini supposedly dates back to the 10th century during the Kalbid dynasty.
Panelle – those golden slivers of fried chickpeas – are some of the best of Sicilian street food, and both its ingredients and preparation styles are very similar to Middle Eastern chickpea dishes. They let out a satisfying crunch and ooze of grease with each bite, as you stroll under the arches and domes hand-crafted by caliphates long gone. Later came the Normans. And then the Holy Roman Empire.
Spaniards arrived and brought ingredients from the new world, such as tomatoes, peppers, and chocolate. With these new additions, famous dishes Pasta Alla Norma (fresh vegetables, fried eggplant, basil, and ricotta Salata) became Sicilian staples.
Under the unification of Italy in 1861, Sicily technically became “Italian,” but its culture – notably its food – remained steadfastly siciliana. There are many pasta, fish, meat, vegetable, and dessert dishes that are incredible, undeniably Sicilian, and too many to mention to do justice to the Sicilian food culture indeed. It is the chaotic combination of all of its customs, coming together and shared on a table with friends and family, which makes Sicilian food just that: Sicilian.
These are the culinary traditions that many Sicilian Americans celebrate today, bonded by a sense of community at events like the Feast of Saint Joseph’s Day. Sicilians and Sicilian Americans still pride themselves on this unique heritage, the knowledge that they are not from the mainland of Italy, but from a place unique in its diversity.
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Reference: Reposted from Pensieri Blog by NIAF
