A guide to Sicilian food and wine
Traditional Sicilian food
Sicily’s complex history has left its mark in the island's architecture, its culture, and its customs, but nowhere is it more evident than in its cuisine.
The Greeks brought grapes and olives and introduced the resident population to winemaking. The Romans then brought fava beans, chickpeas, lentils and varieties of pasta. They deforested vast swathes of the hinterland, planted wheat in the fertile soils and transformed the island into "Rome's breadbasket".
Arabs brought almonds, aniseed, apricots, artichokes, cinnamon, oranges, pistachio, pomegranates, saffron, sesame, spinach, sugarcane, watermelon and rice. They expanded the island's palate with flavour combinations that are now considered typically Sicilian, such as the sweet and sour mix of raisins and pine nuts that can be found in many favourite Sicilian dishes.
Sicily's love affair with sweets and patisserie also began with the Arabs, who introduced ice cream and granita (made with snow from Mount Etna), marzipan and candied fruits. They revolutionised farming techniques, built cutting edge irrigation systems, mass-produced dried pasta and distilled grape must to create grappa.
The Normans and the Swabians brought northern European innovations including rotisserie and fish-curing techniques. The French, meanwhile, brought culinary sophistication in the form of the Monsú chefs who worked in aristocratic palazzi across the island.
One telling characteristic is that you will rarely eat anything that has not been produced within a few miles of where you are sitting.
Apart from putting the final touches on sweet specialities such as the cassata, the Spanish brought many vital ingredients to today’s Sicilian diet. The New World provided chilis, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and maize, and all of these were incorporated into existing recipes.
Today, you will eat very well all over Sicily. One telling characteristic is that you will rarely eat anything that has not been produced within a few miles of where you are sitting. The freshest fish and seafood on the coast, the tastiest meats and cheeses in the interior, and a huge range of vegetables, fruits and funghi, all with a richness of flavour that you just don’t find at your supermarket back home.
Whether you prefer the traditional fare of the simplest local trattoria, or the more sophisticated and elaborate dishes on offer in Michelin-starred restaurants, such is the pride that Sicilians take in their cooking that you will rarely if ever, be disappointed.
Traditional Sicilian wine
According to legend, it was Dionysus (aka Bacchus) who brought pleasure to mankind, and wine to Sicily.
Legend aside, it is certain that wine has been made in Sicily for millennia. There is evidence that Mycenaean traders cultivated grapes in the Aeolian Islands as early at 1,500 BCE. And when the Greeks began to settle in Sicily in the 8th century BCE, they too were unable to forgo their favourite libation, oinos, and introduced several varieties of vines.
The next significant date in Sicilian wine history is 1773, the year John Woodhouse began producing what was destined to become one of the island's best loved products: Marsala.
Woodhouse understood immediately that the decent local wine could be transformed using in perpetuum techniques (similar to the solera system used to make sherry). The addition of alcohol would not only fortify the wine but also help it survive the sea journey back to England intact. It was an instant success with the British, and soon other entrepreneurs, such as Ingham and Whitaker, were exploiting the wine's popularity.
Sicily is a wine-lover's paradise, such is the variety, complexity and abundance of Bacchus' unique gift!
Towards the end of the 19th century, the English dominion in Marsala-making was brought to an end by the arrival of Vincenzo Florio, one of Italy's first tycoons, who bought up much of the land around Marsala. Cantine Florio, though in different hands today, remains one of the best producers of Marsala, and a visit of their enormous barrel-filled winery is recommended.
For most of the 20th century, Sicily continued to produce enormous quantities of grapes, most of which were exported to be added to wine made elsewhere in Italy and France.
Over the last 30 years, however, Sicily's wine culture has changed dramatically, as the many international prizes won by Sicilian winemakers confirm. Some of Italy’s finest wines are now being made on the island, and a new generation of Sicilian producers are realising the full potential of the island’s enviable climate, its autochthonous grape varieties and its fertile soil. At the same time, prestigious winemakers from around the world are buying land, planting vines and creating fabulous wines, particularly on Mount Etna, which has been nicknamed the new Bourgogne.
Another aspect of Sicily's viticultural evolution regards the increase in the number of producers making organic, bio-dynamic and natural wines, many of which have already gained international recognition.
The ecological aspects of winemaking are also close to the hearts of Sicilian producers. Since 2010, Planeta and Tasca d'Almerita have been at the heart of SOStain, an Italian scientific research programme into viticultural sustainability. Other producers have joined the scheme over the years and Sicily is now a leader in ecological winemaking.
DOC and DOCG
There are 23 DOC (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata) 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 - Vittoria
... and one DOCG (Denominazioni di Origine Controllata e Garantita) area: Cerasuolo di Vittoria.
Area-specific DOC(G) wines only account for a small proportion of Sicily’s overall wine production, however. This is partly due to the institution of a regional, umbrella denomination - DOC Sicilia - in 2011, and partly due to the fact that most winemakers in Sicily also like to work outside the strict parameters of DOC(G) regulations (both area-specific and regional). This means that you shouldn’t necessarily consider wines labelled IGT Terre Siciliane (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) to be in any way inferior: on the contrary, if they’ve been made by a quality producer they'll most likely be a fascinating personal expression of a master winemaker.
Sicilian olive oil
Asked by a passing Olympian God about the essentials of life, an ancient Greek pointed to an olive tree: "It provides us with shade from the hot summer sun, wood for warm winter fires, nourishing fruit, and oil for cooking and lighting." A gift from Athena to the town that took her name, the olive tree's multifarious qualities remain legendary, and nowhere more so than in Sicily.
Greek settlers imported their beloved olive trees to Sicily in the 6th century BCE and olive oil has been produced on the island ever since. A few facts:
- Sicily produces about 10% of Italy's olive oil.
- There are 6 DOP olive oil producing areas of Sicily (Protected Designation of Origin - similar to DOC for wines), more than any other region of Italy. These are Val di Mazara DOP, Valdemone DOP, Valle del Belice DOP, Valli Trapanesi DOP, Monte Etna DOP and Monti Iblei DOP.
The most common varieties of olives for oil production are Biancolilla, Castiglione, Carolea and Nocellara.
Olive oil production
The olive harvest in Sicily takes place between the middle of September and the end of November, depending on the area and the altitude at which the olives are grown - there is a considerable difference between Mount Etna and the Val di Mazara. The best producers harvest their olives by hand and there is a growing number of organic oils being produced on the island.
Olive oil tasting
If you are visiting Sicily during the olive harvest, be sure to head for an oil mill to sample (and buy) some freshly pressed, deliciously fruity and aromatic olive oil. If you're staying in one of our villas (several of which produce their own olive oil) let us know and we'll set up a tasting for you.
And if you fancy doing a degustazione at home, one of the most satisfying ways is to dribble some olive oil on a thin slice of fresh white bread. Add a tiny pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper and what is ostensibly a "tasting" will be transformed into a memorable meal.
