Santa Lucia's Sicilian tradition in London? Yes we can!!!

The traditional cuccìa, Palermo typical dessert on December 13th.

I am very happy to share with you the success of my first Sicilian dinner in London on the occasion of the festivity of St. Lucy or Santa Lucia as we call her, last friday December the 13th. Do you know why the festivity of Santa Lucia is such a big deal in Palermo city?

Mediterranean starter

   Our tradition imposes to avoid everything made of wheat like pasta, bread or biscuits, except the "cuccìa", a typical dessert made of boiled wheat in grains and mixed with ricotta cream, the classic filling for cannoli and cassata. For this reason real queens of the day are rice (particularly arancine), potatoe pies and panelle.

     
   With some lovely guests from Uk, Australia and, of course Italy, we had shared our tradition and remembered the story of this incredible Sicilian Saint especially how she saved the people from Palermo from the famine, back in 1646.

Thanks to everybody for the fantastic night spent together and of course... W Santa Lucia! :-p

Colorful Sicilian Marzipan Fruits: history and origin

Photo Credit: terrenormanne.it

The so called "frutta di Martorana" (Martorana's fruits), also known as "pasta reale" (royal pastry) or "marzapane" (marzipan), are typical Sicilian almond sweets that we prepare and eat only in the period before and soon after the day of November the 1s and the 2nd, which are dedicated in our Christian tradition respectively to All Saints and to the commemoration of the Deads.

Photo Credit: partecipiamo.it

 Main ingredient of these sweets is the "pasta di mandorle", almond pastry, which took its name Martorana after the aristocratic woman Eloisa Martorana, who made build a Benedicte Monastery near the church of S. Maria dell'Ammiraglio at the end of the XII century. This church is infact also known as Martorana. 

Nuns to celebrate the festivity of All Saints used to prepare these almond sweets that reproduce forms and colors of many fruits and vegetables such as cauliflower, tomatoes, carrotts, chestnuts, peaches, apricots, mandarines, figs, apples, pears and a lot more.

Regarding the names, it was also called "pasta reale" because was particularly appreciated at the table of the King of Sicily Ruggero II, while the term "marzapane" has Arab origins: marzaban was a measurement used to indicate the capacity of a wooden box, where usually were sent almond sweets coming from Armenia or Cyprus.

Afterwards with the same pastry they also started to make sheep for Easter, to remember the sacrifice of the Lamb.

"Do you want pane e panelle?" My first interview to an Italian newspaper

Hi dear readers and food lovers, as I had happily announced few days ago on my Official Facebook page, I have been interviewed a second time this summer for my blog. How exciting!!!

It was an Italian newspaper always interested in finding Sicilian bloggers to talk about. So here it is a recap of my interview translated just for you :-)

What does your blog talk about?

The blog combines three passions of mine: food, writing and English language. So it talks about recipes but not only. I have written about Gaetano Basile's new book about food, about the Sicilian chef Natale Giunta fighting against organised crime and about one of the favorite place of judge Paolo Borsellino: the Focacceria San Francesco in Palermo. Obviously common denominator are always Sicily and food.

Why are you writing in English?

Many reasons. I wanted to export Sicilian cuisine, connect with all the numerous Sicilians that live abroad and miss the colors and parfumes of our wonderful cuisine, and let other people in the world know about our food and tradition as well.

It's a mortal sin leaving Sicily without trying...

A lot of stuff: panelle, pasta al forno, cous cous, grilled primosale cheese with black pepper, fresh ricotta cheese, brociolone, caponata, fried sardines.
Arancine and the whole rotisserie, pistaches ice cream flavor from Bronte, gelo di mellone, marzipan (pecorelle or frutta di martorana) and everything coming from our patisserie, starting with cannoli and cassata.

Three blogs that you like.

Fashioncooking.it because I like the fact that combines fashion and food. L’ora del libro, an Italian blog for those who love reading and Cliomakeup which is all about beauty products and make up.

Three stereotypes about Sicilian cuisine.

The caponata is made only with aubergine/eggplants and not with bell peppers.

The parmigiana has fried aubergine/eggplants and has nothing to do with the city of Parma or Parmigiano Reggiano.

The ricotta cream for desserts is made with fresh ricotta, sugar and dark chocolate chips only. Some people think there are also pieces of candy fruits, it was an old use, but not anymore.

Which adjective would you use to describe the following things:
Bronte's pistaches: precious
Pane ca meusa/spleen sandwich: poor
Modica's chocolate: historical
Sfincione: with strong characte
Caponata: multi-cultural

Tastes and parfumes.
Palermo: pane e panelle and street food in general
Trapani: cous cous with fish and caldofreddo
Messina: pignolata bicolore, lemon and choc.
Siracusa: slushes
Catania: Nerello Mascalese
Ragusa: caciocavallo cheese

Sicilian Chefs. Who do you prefer?

On this matter I have to improve my knowledge, among those who I have appreciated the talent there are:

1. Angelo Treno
2. Giuseppe Di Cristina
3. Natale Giunta

Name, origins, job, what you read and what you watch on tv.

Georgia from Palermo. I am a freelance web content writer, I work with social media and communication. Basically I write, not only for work but for pleasure as well, infact few months ago I published my first novel in Italian entitled: “L’Equilibrista”.

I love Sergio Bambarèn's books, but also the ones that tell true stories. Recently I read two amazing books that every human being should read: Ruta Sepetys' “Between shades of gray” and Immaculè Ilibagiza's “Left to tell”. On tv I like watching movies that make me laugh and relax, and depending on what happens in Italy, I may also watch programs on current affairs.

Your favorite aphorism.
Carpe diem. It's from the latin poet Horace and means "seize the day". 

Recipe and wine for this summer.

For this torrid summer I would suggest the cous cous with vegs. It's healthy and fresh, and perfect for any occasion. It can go with both a white or a red wine.
I am not a sommelier but I will try a combination with either Corvo Glicine or Cerasuolo from Vittoria. Both rigorously Sicilians!!! 


You can read the original interview here.

Reviews: A real Sicilian "arancina" in Notting Hill?

Do you remember when I talked about the famous and extremely popular Sicilian rotisserie? You find it in bars and cafès and one of the most appreciated pieces is definetely the ARANCINA, the huge rice ball fried and filled with mozzarella cheese and ham (al burro) or with Sicilian ragù made of minced meat sauce (alla carne). Delicious! Especially in Palermo everyone is crazy about our amazing arancine and one thing you don't know for sure is that the noun is actually FEMININE in this part of the island! And it is a very big deal for us! So remember it when you visit Palermo and you want to try one, all right? :-)

Recently, while I was in London, walking in the renowned area of Notting Hill I happened to find a food spot called: "Arancina, the traditional Sicilian pizzeria". The name was curious to me, to start with, because in Sicily we have a lot of famous dishes, but the pizza is not something we export as Sicilians, while the arancina definetely is. We do have our tasty pizza called sfincione in Palermo, but to my surprise there was no trace of that in the pizzeria, so I gathered the owners could not be from Sicily and infact I was right.


The place was lovely, cosy and very nice decorated, the people kind and smiley, the location amazing and the pizza was really good, it reminded me about the traditional pizza a taglio they make in Rome: thin, soft and tasty. Obviously as a real Sicilian and a food blogger (perfect combination, isn't it?) I had to try the arancina and see if it was like the original ones, but sadly my reaction was disappointment. Big disappointment.

For two reasons: first the SIZE of them. 

These ones were tiny ones... I would say "supplì" (originally again from Rome) with a different name.

Second the PRICE. A small fried ball of rice for 2.60 pounds.

In Sicily an average arancina is sold between 1.20 and 2.00 euros at the maximum (which in pounds is between 1.00 and 1.80 and in dollars between 1.50 and 1.70 more or less) and it is DOUBLE in SIZE.

In my opinion if you want to sell something at a high price because is exotic or sough after it's ok, but at least sell it in the correct size. I would have preferred to spend 3.00 pounds for an original big sized arancina, rather than 2.60 for a tiny one.

The taste was ok, it wasn't the exactly one but was good, ...I was hungry and I ate it with pleasure, but to be honest it was gone in just three bites and that was it. That was my lunch.

Do you know which was one of the most important ingredient that was missing in there? SATISFACTION!
Having something that is scrumptious, very well made and leaves you full and happy? Plus, you eat it and think of your homeland,... missing it. It is something that has to do with food, but above all with memoirs, family, friends, tradition, connection. All in one arancina and it wasn't accomplished at all!

Simple as that.

So, I would recommed the place (here is the website) for a nice authentic Italian pizza a taglio, but I would suggest to work more on the arancina... at least on the size, because if you sell the real thing customers will triple! And in case you want to try the original ones, there is only one place: Palermo, Sicily!

Then, we can talk about TRUE SATISFACTION!!!!!

Saint Joseph's bread and the devotion of the Altar

Do you know what "Pane di San Giuseppe" is? Last year on March the 19th, the day of Saint Joseph, I talked about our lovely tipical sweets called sfinci, remember?
But there is also another important tradition in our region on the same festivity, and it's to prepare a particular bread called after the Saint: "Pane di San Giuseppe" (literally Saint's Joseph bread).

It is a tradition that still goes on in some of the villages in the island especially in the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento, Enna e Caltanissetta. The people who are particularly devoted to Saint Joseph, set up in their own houses a kind of Altar (small or big it doesn't matter) that is dedicated to Him. They place a picture of the Sacred Family or the Holy Cross right up in the middle, symbol of Christianity, to be like the Tabernacle of the church. 

At the four corners of the table they place some bay branches and right in the middle all the bread that has the most particular shapes, like real refined sculptures of animales, objects, flowers, ecc... in Sicilian these eatable sculptures are called "cuddure". Tables are also decorated with oranges and lemons which are the fruits that the land of Sicily offers to the Saint.

The altar must be ready on the 18th, eve of the festivity, and houses are open to visitors and tourists to pay respect and express the devotion. If the landlord offers some food to a visitor, it must be accepted, because it's part of the devotion as well. This lasts until the following day when the striking ceremony ends usually at lunch time.
This tradition is at least 400 years old and, as usual, it may change in customs from village to village. 

Being Saint Joseph the father of Jesus we also celebrate the Father's day on this occasion, so don't forget to call your dad or remember him in a sincere prayer.

PICTURES CREDITS:
http://www.atinkite.it/appuntamento.php?id=88
http://www.palermomania.it/news.php?19-marzo-san-giuseppe-festa-del-papa&id=25158

"Panelle & Kitchen qb": Sicilian street food introduced by our first guest of the year

P like PALERMO, P like PANELLE. 

The two words are forever bond, because the 'pane e panelle' (the panelle sandwich) is together with the other famous 'pane ca' meusa' (the spleen sandwich), the most distinctive and representative street food of the Capital of Sicily. Infact if you ask an Italian about it, I am pretty sure he doesn't know what I am talking about unless he/she has been in Palermo on holiday. If you ask a Sicilian (from another part) he would probably shrug his shoulder too. 

What eaxctly are they, then? They are fritters made of chickpea flour and water. 
How are they? Flat. Superb. Unique. Delicate. These are only few adjectives to describe the PANELLE and trust me, the average Palermo-dweller is totally in love with them regardless of age, profession or social status.

So... there's no better traditional recipe than this, to guest another food blogger to talk about it. Her name is Silvia and her blog (in Italian language) is called Kitchen qb. It's a lovely, well written and inspiring blog and she is not only a great cook but also an excellent photographer. Now she is in her own words... talking about this dish:

<<Here we go! Let's start talking about street food. My city Palermo is famous for this kind of food, so I can't help talking about one of the most renowned one: the panelle. Introduced by the Arabic domination, this food made of chickpeas flour, water, salt and parsley has its  culmination in the final frying phase because of the superb and tasteful result. 

The panelle are usually placed between a rounded bread bap with sesame seeds on top and it's a treat to stuff the panino with potatoes croquettes as well (in Palermo dialect also called "cazzilli", colorful diminuitive referring to their shape that reminds a part of a male body). 

Where we can find them? Anywhere... in every corner of the city, especially in the "friggitorie" (spots that sell fried food) or at the local peddlers that, with their smell, perfume the entire city.

Ingredients & Preparation:

• 500 gr chickpea flour
• 1,5 litre water
• thinly chopped parsley (as required)
• e.v. olive oil
• salt
• sesame seeds (optional)

1. Fill a large pot with 1 lt water, add the chickpea flour little by little and stir constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps. Put the pot on a medium heat, add a good pinch of salt (about 20 gr.) and keep stirring until it starts boiling and getting thicker.
2. When this mixture will be more solid (similar to the polenta) you can add the parsley and remove from heat.
3. Place the dough on a marble surface previously oiled (or on an oiled oven tray) and flatten it with a spoon or a spatula. Once it has cooled down, with a knife, make some rectangles.
4. Pour some olive oil in a pan on a high heat to start frying our panelle on both sides until golden. 5. Place them on some kitchen paper to absorb the exceeding oil and add a pinch of salt. 6. Serve immediately while still hot, together with little rounded panini.

Note: I only use olive oil for frying, so I suggest to use this one for a better result. Some people also like to squeeze few drops of lemon juice on top and a pinch of black pepper, if you have never tried them, this is about the time.>> 

Silvia

--- Here you can find Silvia's post in Italian language.

Thank you so much to Silvia for being such a lovely guest on my blog. I have to say I do love having panelle with lemon juice on, because its bitterness perfectly combines with the fritters. You can prepare them as starters for a big meal, as finger food on a buffet, or as a proper meal inside a big panino (bread) for a quick lunch on the go, just like Silvia suggested in her recipe and pictures. 

No matter which is the occasion and when you gonna have them, they will blow you away! That's for sure. And vegeterians will love them too! Isn't it amazing?

To make this gorgeous and delicious recipe perfect, let me add a pinch of history: the Arabs that dominated our island from the 9th to the 11th century, were innovators and started to grind the seeds of the chickpeas. The result was flour that, mixed to water and cooked in a pan on a heat, gave a kind of raw dough, that wasn't particularly tasty. But after experimenting they found out that the same dough, cut in thin slices and fried in oil, made a delicious food with an inviting golden color, and little by little, it became very popular. That's how panelle were born. 

And the love story between them and the city of Palermo lasts ever since.

The pictures are all property of Silvia Crucitti & Kitchenqb, except the pic at the top, taken by Rachel Bajada for the SicilianCuisineBlog; you are not allowed to take or download any of them without asking for permission. Thank you.

Pizza 'a taglio' and rounded one: what's the difference?

Have you ever heard the expression "pizza a taglio"? Do you know what it means? 

Italy is the homeland of pizza, but there is a big difference between the one we call "a taglio" and the most famous one, which is rounded and can be single-sized (for one person) or family-sized (often 8 slices for 3-4 people).

The first type is usually sold in bakeries and supermarkets (not in pizzerias) and "a taglio" literally means that you have to cut it because it is made in large oven trays, so when you go to a bakery and ask for a portion of a specific pizza (pic above), they will cut it for you, so it's always in squares or rectangles. The other different is in the dough, first one is thick, while the rounded ones are very thin.

To sum it up then: the famous Margherita from Naples is a rounded pizza (pic below on the right), while our traditional Sfincione for example is pizza a taglio. (pic below on the left)

On the 8th of December in Italy is the Catholic Festivity of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady, which means that no matter what day of the week it will be on the calendar..... is gonna be a big Sunday lunch!!!

Traditionally on the Immaculate's Eve, friends gather to have dinner together, play cards, chat and have fun and we usually buy our local pizza, the sfincione, or some rotisserie, or some other kind of pizza a taglio, that's because the meal of the following day is often very demanding.

Now, if you want to prepare the sfincione you find the recipe here, but if you are in Palermo and would like to taste the best pizza a taglio in town, well... there is only one place where you can go and is called: GRAZIANO!!! 

It's a "panificio", a bakery located in via del Granatiere 11, a small street not far from upper Via Libertà.

Graziano is famous all over Palermo in particular for his PIZZA RUSTICA (here on the right), a delicious squared pizza with sliced salami, fresh tomatoes and primosale cheese (one of our best local cheeses). It is also sprinkled with parsley on top and once you have tried it you just won't forget it! 

You will love it and miss it and dream about it. Believe me... I do it all the time :-)

Graziano's website can be found here

Saint Martin's day, his cookies and the Moscato wine!

Have you ever heard about the  S. Martin festivity? Well, November the 11th is the day of Saint Martin and in Sicily is usually accompanied by a lovely tradition. We eat some crusty dry rounded cookies sold in bakeries (and now supermarkets), usually broken in pieces and sopped up in the extraordinary Sicilian Moscato wine.
Ingredients for 8 people: 500 gr flour - 200 gr caster sugar - 100 gr lard - 200 gr brewer's yeast - Aniseeds - Cinnamon powder - Butter - Salt

Preparation:
Preheat the oven at a temperature of 200° degrees. On a kitchen surface put the flour and make a hole in the middle of it. Mix 1 dl of warm water and a pinch of salt, plus the lard, mixing everything together carefully. Add the brewer's yeast, the sugar and a teaspoon of aniseeds with a pinch of cinnamon. Knead the dough well until is soft, smooth and homogeneous.
From the dough make some sticks long about 5-6 cm, then try to bend or fold each stick on itself,  giving a kind of spiral shape. Put them on a buttered baking tin. Cover them and leave it there to rise for at least 3 (or 4) hours in a warm place (it really depends on how warm is the place). As soon as the cookies are risen and ready to be cooked put them in the oven at 200° degree for 10 minutes. 

 
Take them out and reduce the oven temperature at 160°degrees. Put them inside again for about 20 minutes for a second baking carefully checking that they won't get too brown. 

Of course because in Sicily we never miss a single occasion to get fatter we do also have the "patisserie version" which is slightly different from the original recipe, obviously softer because it cooks less and it's filled with ricotta cream and has icing sugar and cinnamon on top.

Then we have a third version that I like to call the "baroque" one because is all decorated with a frosting and little chocolates on top, just like in the picture below.

So, if you happen to be in Sicily on the 11th of November (or near that date) try at least one of the three Sammartinellis. And don't forget the Moscato wine.

You won't be disappointed!!!

"Cous cous Festival", where food and cultures meet

Do you know what is the "Cous cous Festival"? And when & where is it held?
Starting from the 25th until the 30th of September an amazing international and intercultural event will take place in San Vito Lo Capo, a little seaside village in the province of Trapani. I am talking about the Festival of Cous cous on its XVth edition.

Nine countries from all over the world (Ivory coast, Egypt, France, Israel, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, Tunisia and of course Italy) will partecipate on the race, cooking their special dish of cous cous with either fish, meat or vegetables, according to every local tradition. Afterwards a jury will express its verdict and the winner will receive the award of "Best Cous Cous 2012".

The province of Trapani (San Vito lo Capo, Bonagia, Mazara del Vallo, Marsala, Erice just to name a few spots) has always been famous for having successfully adopted and adapted this Arabic dish with the local ingredients that this part of the island offers, first of all the super fresh catch of the day.

That explains why there is no better area than this one to try the outstanding Sicilian cous cous served with a marvellous fish soup on top, just like here in the pic on the right; (while the pic above is the view of the lovely Trapanese coast taken from the Erice's Castle).

Please have a look at the event's Official Website for further details if interested: http://www.couscousfest.it/

Sicilian folklore: "U fistinu di Santa Rusulia"

Do you know what "u fistinu" is? Fistinu is the Sicilian word to indicate the Festino of Santa Rosalia, a huge festivity dedicated to the Patron Saint of Palermo: Saint Rosalia. Tradition wants that on the 15th of july 1624 in a cave inside mount Pellegrino, the famous mountain of Palermo were founded the remainings of this virgin saint that had lived as recluse there.



The legend:

In that period Palermo-city was suffering from a terrible plague. The Saint appeared to a man saying that those bones were hers and she suggested that if he would put them on a carriage and go around the city she would cure the people and save them from the plague. So he did and the miracle happened, people actually recovered from the terrible disease and Palermo was safe again.

That's at least the legend we keep remembering. So since then, this great tradition got a foothold and every july the 14th (on the eve of the feast) in the city there is a huge parade.

The carriage (big pic above) with the statue of the Saint starts moving from the Cathedral of Palermo (pic up on the left) to the "Quattro Canti" (pic here on the right) and down to "Porta Felice and the Foro Italico", near the sea (pic below), where everything usually ends with one hour of the most beautiful and colorful fireworks.

A very important moment is when the Mayor gets on the carriage and says the very traditional words: "Viva Palermo e viva Santa Rosalia!" (literally 'Hurrah for Palermo and Saint Rosalia').

It's definetely a mixture of myth, devotion and popular tradition that make this event so particular but it's also important to understand the metaphor behind. We remember those ancient days in which she saved our city from plague, but we hope and pray she can help us cure once again our diseases, setting us free from the evils that afflict our society and our troubled lives. 


While walking in the crowd I met a small group of American tourists looking a bit deafened and dazed about what this was all about. A girl looked at me and said: "We don't understand!"... so I tried to explain a little bit of this story. Hilarious!

If you want to visit western Sicily you are very welcome all year around, but there is no more popular and traditional event than this one to feel and get in touch with the real atmosphere of the capital of Sicily. 


Just remember that you should be prepared to tolerate the tremendous heat and walk for about 4 hours with thousands and thousands of noisy Sicilians chatting and folkloristicly shouting: "VIVA PALERMO E SANTA ROSALIA!" :-)))


Definetely an experience that cannot be missed!!!

Santa Lucia & the tradition: let's find out what when & why

Do you know why on December the 13th which is the day of the Sicilian Virgin and Saint Lucy here in Sicily we eat some stuff called: "cuccìa", "panelle" and above all "arancine"? Let's make it clear once and for all :)

The story has got ancient roots: in the XVIIth century the city of Palermo and probably all the areas around were suffering from a terrible famine; people were starving and had nothing to eat, so they started to pray Saint Lucy who was originally from the Sicilian town of Siracusa. On the day of her festivity in 1646 (during the period of famine) a huge ship arrived in the harbour of Palermo and it was full of wheat.

People were so hungry that use the grain just as it was, boiled and eaten it with the few things they had like oil of olive, ricotta and vegetables. 

Little by little the tradition of cooking the wheat in grains spread on that day and people started to make also a sweeter version which in Sicily has always to be with ricotta cream. The name of this dish is "cuccìa" (the pic above is the sweet cuccìa), probably coming from the word "cocciu", which literally means grain. So this day is the only day of the year in which pasta and bread are banned from Sicilian tables to remind us the story of this miracle.

Now, having banned all the food made of wheat people had to eat other stuff apart from the cuccìa, so they started to eat potato pies, panelle which are chickpea fritters (the pic above), also in their sweet version filled with little custard and caster sugar on top (see the pic here on the right).

But the food that the majority of Palermo citizens relate to this day are the unique "arancine", scrumptious fried rice balls filled with different ingredients: ham & mozzarella cheese or minced meat ragout (the classic ones) but today you also find them with spinach, salmon and sometimes chicken as well.  

Hence, although it started like a day of penitence today by contrast it is popularly known as "the day of arancine", in which the "average palermitano" stuffs himself with 5 or 6 (and sometimes 8,9,10!!!) rice balls, and probably, if you ask him/her why there is no bread or pasta he/she doesn't even know how to answer.

 I am a huge fan of traditions, but I think it's important to know their stories and where they actually come from, so if you wanna try an arancina, or a sweet panella or some cuccìa on this very special day for us, feel free to do so, but at least you know why!

Sicilian November tradition: "frutta di Martorana & pupi di zucchero"

In Sicily and in particular in Palermo there are two important festivities that come on the beginning of November. On the very 1st of the month we celebrate All Saints' day, which is a religious day dedicated to the Saints, so it's important if we want to ask them help or pray for intercession. The 2nd of November is All Souls' day and is dedicated to the loved ones that we lost and it's a completely different thing.

When we were kids, the 2nd of November was an important awaited day, because parents used to tell children that during the night a deceased relative of the family came on that special day of the year to visit them and bring gifts plus many delicious sweets for the little ones. It was called "u cesto di morti", which means the basket brought by the deads! The children had to be very careful, if the deads arrived while they were still awake, they would tickle their feet. Another sweet gift that they used to bring were the famous precious "pupi di zuccaro", beautiful dolls made only of sugar (pic on the right).

But the most renowned sweets that we make for this occasion is the famous "Frutta di Martorana", which means marzipan made with almond flour and shaped in any kind of fruits and vegetables (pic above). The name comes from the Nuns of the Monastery of Martorana, nearby the same Church, who were the ones that used to prepare these fruits on the 1st of November. These fruits are also called "Pasta reale", which means royal pastry, because was often appreciated by many kings during the centuries and is exactly the same that we use on Easter day for representing the Lamb.

Nowadays, it has become more and more difficult to keep this tradition alive, due to the Hallowen influence on our culture. We want to keep this recurrence alive in our own way, thinking that all Souls' Day is not only a commemoration of the deads, but also a real celebration of their lives. They are not with us anymore in body, but we believe they keep staying close and although is sad, we want our children to remember them with a smile, not with fear. Nothing to be afraid of, because without death there wouldn’t be any life and viceversa.

What do Sicilians eat for breakfast?

Do you know what Sicilians usually eat for breakfast? When I decided to create a food blog I loved the idea of posting not only mere recipes, but also stories, origins and any other information that can be interesting about our way of eating and our habits. So that is what this article is about: our breakfast!
 

As Sicily is a part of Italy (can't stand those who say the opposite only because it's an island!), Sicilian breakfast at home is like the Italian one: strong black coffee, with or without milk, with few biscuits or some sliced bread with butter and jam, possibly homemade. But if you do have breakfast out things change. It's still true we can't live without the black espresso from the bar or the lovely cappuccino, we also love fresh orange juice (squeesed in that moment!) and we usually have some delicacies with those things.

The most traditional ones in Palermo and its province are: treccine (twist shaped), millefoglie, ciambelle and brioche; (up above the picture of a ciambella and a treccina).

(You'll also find the international croissants and similar stuff such as Danish pastries with cream and apple, ecc... like in the rest of the world I suppose.)

 

The dough of this four things are similar one another, the first two treccine and millefoglie (here on the left a millefoglie) are baked and have sugar on top, they only have different shapes, plus the millefoglie has got raisins as well. Ciambelle (pic on top) are fried and very similar to donuts, at least in their shape, but are bigger, softer and with caster sugar. Needless to say they are the best and all the kids love them!

I remember when I was a child and I had to go to the doctor for blood exams with my empty stomach, after that horrible experience (as a kid) only a big soft rounded ciambella could make me smile again!!! :-)))

Finally there are the briosce or brioche, the word comes from the French. Careful when you use this word in other parts of Italy because in the north (like in Milan) they call briosce a normal croissant, while we don't because as I've just explained for us are to different things!

Our brioches are plain baked buns (oval or rounded like here on the right) and we eat them in many different ways: you can have an empty brioche with your cappucino in the morning, then a briosce with ham and tomato for lunch, and even a brioche with ice cream for dinner or during the afternoon! This is how Sicilians love to eat their ice cream in Summer!!! They are suitable for every need :)))

Talking about the hot season I have to add that there are many Sicilians who prefer to have a lemon granita (I think the correct translation should be shovel or ice shaved) with the brioche instead of the hot cappuccino in the Summer mornings, but this is up to everyone's taste and habit. I like my cappuccino even in the middle of July!

So now you can understand a little bit more about our first meal, and when you come to Sicily you will definetely know what to ask for breakfast!