An Introduction of Southern Italy & our first region: Sicilia
South Italy is made up of many regions including Puglia, where we are staying. I am looking forward to making the cuisines of these regions as I believe they will be more fish based than the regions of Northern Italy. My father's side of the family is Italian and I remember how much fish we used to eat when I was younger. My grandfather loves to fish and he tells stories of making it before I was born. I believe there will be a lot of influence from Greece in these regions because when they first came to Italy, the inhabited Puglia and Sicily. I am intrested to see how cured meats are different here than in Northen Italy because it is a lot more humid in the south. There is also a huge influence from both the Ionian, Adriatic, and Mediterrean sea that there is not in North Italy. Here is to a great next 3 weeks learning about Southern Italian cuisine!
We are now moving into the cuisine of Southern Italy, beginning with Sicily! This region is the largest in Italy with a lot of people living in it. People have inhabited this region since before Christ and since then, there have been many dominations within the region, influencing the cuisine, art, and overall culture of the entire region. The inhabiting of this region came from the sea, beginning with the Phoenicians, then the Greeks. The Greeks stayed in the region for 6-7 centuries, largely influencing the culture. After the Greeks, came the Romans, like the rest of Italy, dominating the entire population. The Barbaric invasions were next, but the Normans that followed created a rein that stayed for about 700 years. Following them came the French, Spanish, and Austrians, all leaving their own spin on the culture of Sicily. With the combination of all of these dominations, it became a melting pot of culture, creating a rich, beautiful cuisine.
In the capital city of Palermo, there is a strong influence from the Arabs, that created such strong traditions that are now preserved by the Unesco. Also in Palermo, there is the Vucciria, a huge market that lines the streets of e city every day. The name vucciria comes from the French word butcher because in the beginning, this market was just about the butchering. Then, near the sea, there was the fish market that then became a part of the vucciria, becoming an everything market.
Fun Fact of the Day
Within the DOP and IGP products of the region, there are a variety of different products. From sheep and cow cheese to olive oil and fruits, there is a very fertile soil in Sicily. Here are just a few:
- Pecorino Siciliano DOP: sheep cheese
- Ragusano DOP: cow cheese
- Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP: blood orange
- Pesca di Leonforte IGP: peaches
- Pistacchio Verde di Bronte DOP: pistachios
*Pantelleria is an island of Sicily, very close to Africa. It is not native, but when they brought it, the soil and environment was perfect for growing pistachios. Now, these pistachios are very important. They are much greener and more flavorful than a regular pistachio.
Pasta is very important to Sicily due to the domination of the Arabs. Dry pasta is the tradition, made with durum wheat flour and no eggs. There is no stuffed pasta from this region and there is also no meat served with pasta. An interesting fact about pasta from this region is it is often boiled in the water of vegetables or other things, therefore it has a different taste. Here are 3 traditional pasta dishes of Sicily:
- Pasta alla Norma: pasta made with a light tomato sauce and fried eggplant
- Pasta con le sarde: pasta with sardines & fennel
- Pasta arrimanata coi crocculi: pasta with cauliflower
Another interesting dish from Sicily is Cuscus, a couscous made with seafood, which originated from this region. In all other places, lamb or vegetarian couscous is served.
The wine of Sicily is very important with many different grapes grown all over the region. Here are the most important:
- Nero D'Avola
- Perricone
- Frappato
- Nerello
- Ansonica
- Cataratto
- Zibibbo (a sweet, large grape)
- Grillo
- Carricante
There is only one region in Sicily that produces DOCG wine, Vittoria, producing the wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria. This area is located on the south-west coast of Sicily, founded on a very fertile area of the Boscopiano. There are a lot of DOC wines through, produced all over Sicily.
Here are my tasting notes of the cuisine of Sicily:
- Very strong flavors
- A lot of red sauces
- Eggplant is a veggie used often and is prepared in many different ways, from frying to served with pasta
- Eggs are used in their cuisine. There is even a veal dish that is rolled veal with hard boiled eggs inside.
- There is a strong usage of dry oregano, yes this is different from fresh oregano.
- Dried pasta is used a lot, no fresh or stuffed pasta.
- The same water is used for cooking the pasta as veggies are cooked in. This region and Puglia are the only two that do this, contributing an unique flavor to their pasta dishes.
- Breadcrumbs are used from stiffing of meat to on pasta dishes
- Both sheep and cow cheese is used pretty interchangeably
- There are a lot of different veggies in their dishes.
- Raisins and pine nuts are used.
- Important spices: cinnamon, clove, anise
- Parsley is also used in cooking and as garnish.
- Although there is no stuffed pasta, there are a lot of stuffed meats, fishes, and vegetable preparations.
- Olive oil is used, no butter
Here is a dish Logan prepared today - swordfish pounded pretty thin and filled with a breadcrumb filling. It was very flavorful and the grilled fish added a depth of flavor. I would consider taking this dish and making it a little more composed of a restaurant or even cafe. This would be a good way to bring in fish without making it too complicated, but also super flavorful.
With love,
Baylee
We are now moving into the cuisine of Southern Italy, beginning with Sicily! This region is the largest in Italy with a lot of people living in it. People have inhabited this region since before Christ and since then, there have been many dominations within the region, influencing the cuisine, art, and overall culture of the entire region. The inhabiting of this region came from the sea, beginning with the Phoenicians, then the Greeks. The Greeks stayed in the region for 6-7 centuries, largely influencing the culture. After the Greeks, came the Romans, like the rest of Italy, dominating the entire population. The Barbaric invasions were next, but the Normans that followed created a rein that stayed for about 700 years. Following them came the French, Spanish, and Austrians, all leaving their own spin on the culture of Sicily. With the combination of all of these dominations, it became a melting pot of culture, creating a rich, beautiful cuisine.
In the capital city of Palermo, there is a strong influence from the Arabs, that created such strong traditions that are now preserved by the Unesco. Also in Palermo, there is the Vucciria, a huge market that lines the streets of e city every day. The name vucciria comes from the French word butcher because in the beginning, this market was just about the butchering. Then, near the sea, there was the fish market that then became a part of the vucciria, becoming an everything market.
Fun Fact of the Day
Within the DOP and IGP products of the region, there are a variety of different products. From sheep and cow cheese to olive oil and fruits, there is a very fertile soil in Sicily. Here are just a few:
- Pecorino Siciliano DOP: sheep cheese
- Ragusano DOP: cow cheese
- Arancia Rossa di Sicilia IGP: blood orange
- Pesca di Leonforte IGP: peaches
- Pistacchio Verde di Bronte DOP: pistachios
*Pantelleria is an island of Sicily, very close to Africa. It is not native, but when they brought it, the soil and environment was perfect for growing pistachios. Now, these pistachios are very important. They are much greener and more flavorful than a regular pistachio.
Pasta is very important to Sicily due to the domination of the Arabs. Dry pasta is the tradition, made with durum wheat flour and no eggs. There is no stuffed pasta from this region and there is also no meat served with pasta. An interesting fact about pasta from this region is it is often boiled in the water of vegetables or other things, therefore it has a different taste. Here are 3 traditional pasta dishes of Sicily:
- Pasta alla Norma: pasta made with a light tomato sauce and fried eggplant
- Pasta con le sarde: pasta with sardines & fennel
- Pasta arrimanata coi crocculi: pasta with cauliflower
Another interesting dish from Sicily is Cuscus, a couscous made with seafood, which originated from this region. In all other places, lamb or vegetarian couscous is served.
The wine of Sicily is very important with many different grapes grown all over the region. Here are the most important:
- Nero D'Avola
- Perricone
- Frappato
- Nerello
- Ansonica
- Cataratto
- Zibibbo (a sweet, large grape)
- Grillo
- Carricante
There is only one region in Sicily that produces DOCG wine, Vittoria, producing the wine Cerasuolo di Vittoria. This area is located on the south-west coast of Sicily, founded on a very fertile area of the Boscopiano. There are a lot of DOC wines through, produced all over Sicily.
Here are my tasting notes of the cuisine of Sicily:
- Very strong flavors
- A lot of red sauces
- Eggplant is a veggie used often and is prepared in many different ways, from frying to served with pasta
- Eggs are used in their cuisine. There is even a veal dish that is rolled veal with hard boiled eggs inside.
- There is a strong usage of dry oregano, yes this is different from fresh oregano.
- Dried pasta is used a lot, no fresh or stuffed pasta.
- The same water is used for cooking the pasta as veggies are cooked in. This region and Puglia are the only two that do this, contributing an unique flavor to their pasta dishes.
- Breadcrumbs are used from stiffing of meat to on pasta dishes
- Both sheep and cow cheese is used pretty interchangeably
- There are a lot of different veggies in their dishes.
- Raisins and pine nuts are used.
- Important spices: cinnamon, clove, anise
- Parsley is also used in cooking and as garnish.
- Although there is no stuffed pasta, there are a lot of stuffed meats, fishes, and vegetable preparations.
- Olive oil is used, no butter
Here is a dish Logan prepared today - swordfish pounded pretty thin and filled with a breadcrumb filling. It was very flavorful and the grilled fish added a depth of flavor. I would consider taking this dish and making it a little more composed of a restaurant or even cafe. This would be a good way to bring in fish without making it too complicated, but also super flavorful.
With love,
Baylee
Comments
Post a Comment