Sicily not only is a beautiful and dreamy spot of the world to visit but, if you are a food lover it is also a wonderful place from which to take some cooking inspiration. Sicily has been a crossroad of cultures since antiquity. Its foods confirm the influence of Arabia, Africa, Eastern and Western Europe. It is sometimes nicknamed God’s Kitchen because of abundance of grapes, grains fresh vegetables, fruits and legumes. This perpetual supply of fresh fruits and vegetables combined with every freshly caught fish from the teeming waters of surrounding coastlines and excellent extra virgin olive oil form the basis of Sicilian cooking and makes it one of the world’s healthiest cuisine. Although commonly associated with sea food cuisine along the coast, meat dishes including goose, lamb, goat  and turkey are also found in Sicily especially if you move further inland. It was the Normans who first introduced a fondness for meat dishes to the island while spices used were introduced by the Arabs such as the art of making confections, combining nuts and fruits with sugar and honey.

Couscous,which is identified with the countries of North Africa is very common in Sicilian cooking and belongs to Sicilian tradition as well. There are numerous versions of this dish in western Sicily but it is always made with fish and enriched with ground toasted almonds. For example the difference between Sicilian couscous and North African couscous is that the Sicilian version, grains are set on a large beveled platter called a maffaradda – a smooth ceramic bowl with beveled edges – by moistening with tepid water and extra virgin olive oil and seasoning, with salt, pepper, ground cinnamon, chopped onions and bay leaves. On the contrary, the North African type is made with lamb and seasoned with red pepper.

One of the main crops is the durum wheat, which is particularly suited to the warm dry climate and Sicily’s soil. It is a hard grained wheat with a high gluten content and is used for making high quality pasta. The grain shatters when it is milled producing fine, silky, golden flour, ‘semola’, which makes wonderful bread, also golden in colour. Like the cuisine of the rest of southern Italy, pasta and bread play an important part in Sicilian cuisine.

Many baked  specialties which are neither a bread nor an entrée are cooked in Sicily and consumed as a snack, appetizer or for a hearty meal. Sicily has a great tradition of street food, snacks and such that one buys in a friggitoria, where they fry foods, or makes at home. Wonderful stuff in mid-morning, and excellent party nibbles too! Rice is used to make Sicilian snacks called arancine — fried rice balls shaped like oranges (arancie) and stuffed with meat sauce and cheese or vegetables. The arancina literally means “small orange” (see picture) and is the world famous Sicilian snack. You can buy this ball of rice, in almost every Sicilian bar.

Antipasti, literally before pasta, are a great way to explore some of the unique Sicilian flavours. The most famous of which is caponata. As well as using some other cheeses, Sicily has spawned some of its own, using both cows and sheep’s milk, such as pecorino and caciocavallo.

The most well known part of Sicilian cuisine is the rich sweet dishes including ice creams and pastries. Sicilian extraordinary pastries are rich in colour and elaborately designed and Sicilians are proud of their sweeties. The cassata is the queen of Sicilian desserts but most will have heard of cannoli. Other Sicilian sweets are frutta martorana, pignolata, granita and many others deliciousness. If you would like why don’t try some Sicilian recipes?

Another Sicilian excellence is wine. Sicily has more vineyards than any of the other Italian regions competing with Apulia for the first place as the largest wine producer. Wine accounts for 15% of Sicily’s agricultural production. There are literally vineyards everywhere, along the sea, on the slopes of hills, mountains and volcanoes. The high-altitude of some Sicilian vineyards creates climatic conditions similar to northern regions, with the advantage of much more sunlight. Harvest generally starts as early as July, but finishes only in November. With such a climate, one can understand why Sicily is the winemaking region of Italy covered with more vineyards than any other region of Italy. Though dessert wines account for about 90% of the total DOC production, we shouldn’t disregard the several good reds and whites that are produced all over the island. Some of Sicily’s best house wines are excellent, but because there are made in small quantities, these wines don’t usually make their way into the international marketplace. For most of the 20th century, Sicily continued to produce enormous quantities of grapes, most of which, however, were exported to be added to wine made elsewhere in Italy. The last 20 years have seen enormous changes to the island’s wine culture and, as the many international prizes won by Sicilian producers confirm, some of Italy’s finest wines are now being made in Sicily.

There are 23 DOC zones in Sicily:

Alcamo,Contea di Sclafani, Contessa Entellina, Delia Nivolelli, Eloro, Erice, Etna, Faro, Malvasia delle Lipari, Mamertino di Milazzo, Marsala, Menfi, Monreale, Moscato di Noto, Moscato di Pantelleria, Passito di Pantelleria, Moscato di Siracusa, Riesi, Salaparuta, Sambuca di Sicilia, Santa Margherita di Belice, Sciacca and Vittoria and one DOCG wine: Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

Grape varieties

Many grapes types are grown, used either “in purezza” (single grape variety wines), or blended. Some have been around for centuries, others are more recent imports. The following are some of the main varieties:

Red grapes: Nero D’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Mantellato, Perricone, Frappato, Calabrese and the more recently introduced Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz (Syrah).

White grapes: Cataratto, Grecanico, Grillo, Inzolia, Zibibbo, Damaschino, Trebbiano, Ausonica, Moscato Bianco, Corinto Nero and the more recently introduced Chardonnay, Viognier and Fiano.

Nero d’Avola – This is the classic Sicilian wine: ruby red in color with intense aromas of vanilla and spice. On the palate it is bursting with bright cherry fruit, balanced acidity and exotic spices. It is produced in the southeastern side of the island, but also in the Palermo province where Duca di Salaparuta is located.

Bianco d’Alcamo – This wine is produced from white catarratto grapes (up to 80%) and damaschino,grecanico, and trebbiano (up to 20%). It is considered the classic Sicilian white; it is fruity to the palate and has a straw-yellow with greenish highlights color.

Malvasia – Made from 85% Malvasia grapes, this sweet wine is made with techniques that have changed little over the centuries. The grapes are gathered when they are extremely ripe. The wine is amber-gold in color with an unusually alcoholic content.

Cerasuolo di Vittoria – Made from 100% Nero d’Avola grapes grown 1,600 feet above sea level. The grapes are fermented for 18 days in temperature controlled, stainless steel tanks and then aged for 4 months in Allier barrique. The wine is ruby red in color with intense aromas of vanilla and spice. On the palate it is bursting with bright cherry flavor, balanced acidity and exotic spices.

Passito – The wine is made from the must of very well ripened grapes, to which are added naturally dried grapes in the sunny and windy climate of Pantelleria. Fermentation at controlled temperature lasts until the end of October.

Etna Rosso – Made from Nerello Mascalese (80%) and Nerello Capuccio (20%), the resulting wine is a pleasant surprise to the palate. Etna Rosso wine combines a rich and warm bouquet with hints of spice and green bell pepper on the nose. In the mouth it is medium-bodied, with a smooth texture, ripe and forward fruit, soft tannins, mild acidity, and a surprisingly long finish.

Etna Bianco – This wine is made from the Carricante and Cataratto grapes and other varieties from Milo. Straw-yellow with green reflexes in color, Etna Bianco wine possesses a fruity aroma and fresh taste.

Marsala – Produced by the Grillo, Inzolia, and Catarratto white grapes among others, Marsala wine is characterized by its intense amber color, and its complex aroma that shows hints of strong alcohol flavor. Marsala wines are classified according to their characteristics and the duration of their aging.

Sicilian dessert wines include, Marsala, Passito di Pantelleria, Malvasia delle Lipari and Passito di Noto.