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The sicilian
gastronomy has ancient traditions, since its history and that one of the people
who have inhabited it is one of the most ancient of the world. Its first
inhabitants, migratory and invading people, sure were attracted from its
exceptional climate and its extraordinary fertility. The Greeks, when they began
to install theirself in the island, in VIII sec. a.C. they found three various
people to you, the Sicilian ones in the part orients them, the Sicani in that
western and Elimi in the north-western region. To they give the more ancient
news to us is the Greek historian Tucidide, author of one history of the Sicily
that firm to the 425 a.C. The
historical period of the Sicily is opened, therefore, with the Greek
colonization (VIII sec. a.C.) and in the IV sec. a.C. we already have one of the
most meaningful testimonies on the uses and customs of the sicialian, that one
of great Platone philosopher w
hich in some its written critical the Siracusani
for their gastronomic habits: they used to be based to table more times to the
day! And, always being to the testimony of the Greek philosopher, such habits
had enough evolute and to be refined. Sign that the Sicily already to that time
boasted in matter traditions consolidated enough. That does not have to arouse
astonishment: the Sicily in the antiquity was most fertile because of its
geologic characteristics and of its climate. If to that the abundant game joins
and the abundance of the fish, we are in a position to comprising how much rich
one were the sicialian kitchen. The Arabs produced a true and own revolution in
the alimentary habits of the sicialian, pack-saddles to think next to the new
alimony and drinks that introduced and that until then they were remained
disowned the Sicialian. The Arabic increased agriculture above all: today we are
accustoms to you to watch just to the Sicily like to the earth of the oranges
and the lemons and the "Conca d'oro" and "Piana di Catania" the virtue of their
green mantle of citrus groves. But they were the Arabs, like we have seen, first
to introduce these cultivations and with they, it yields exquisite like the
delicate peach, apricot, ortaggi like the asparagi; other cultivations still
like the rice and the sugar cane, the cotton, the carob tree, the pistachio nut
and the eggplants are due to the Arabic civilization. Even the simple one,
leggiadro and odorosissimo gelsomino from which still today, to part the essence
for the scents, gains the most delicate one frosted the famous "scursunera", has
been imported from the Arabs. Moreover it seems that the inventors of the
"sorbetto" have been just the Arabs from which the name comes down also "scharbat",
of "cubbaìta of giugiulena" of which he maintains the same denomination and that
as sapete is a cake made of honey, almonds and seeds of sesame, than still today
he is found in the stalls of the popular quarters or in the patronali
festivities. The specialties that follow are only an example of that it can be
led back to the Arabic tradition. We specify that when we give to a plate the
denomination "of Arabic derivation" we do not mean that it has been invented
from the Arabs and to we tax. That can also have happened in some case, giacchè
the plates therefore like we today we taste them are nearly always disc of a
valve and fruit successive elaborations. But we mean that these contain of the
elements that are typical of the way to be just of the Arabic kitchen, than
however they rifare to a experience (in species the pastry shop) that it has
made school and it has made to be born the use to couple determines produced
alimentary and that these plates have a common denominator, one to you finally
risen of brand.
| SOME SICILIAN SPECIALITIES | |||
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| Falso magro | Pesce fresco | Cannoli di ricotta | |
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| Chiacchiere | Zeppole di riso | ||
The kitchen of Acireale is that typical one of the sicialian food tradition with some particularitity to exquisite cakies.
The first plates:
"Norma " : maccheroni flavored with sauce of tomato, fried eggplants, salata annealed basil and;
"Pasta cc'a muddica " , with toasted bread crumb, oil and anchovies;
"Pasta cc' u trunzu ", that is with cabbages, intensely cultivates to you in the acese;
"Pasta cc' u niuru " : it is worth to say with the black one of the small cuttlefishes joined to the tomato gravy.
There are the
second optimal
plates such as the grilled ones of mixed fish flavored with oil, lemon,
parsley, garlic and pepper or aromatic grass; "masculine",
that is a typical fish cooked in thousand fried, raw to salad, braced ways (,
etc.). As far as the meat protagonist it is the falsomagro, a t
ypical
plate with bacon fat, eggs read, cheese, onion, cooked pepper and in the tomato gravy. A
lot appreciates the fruits
to you of sea: curly, mussels, eyes of ox, typical of the restaurants of the Coast,
whose terraces, in the evenings of summer, are full of tourists. Between the
products of Sicily, "scacciata", a typical flat cake very used in
the christmas festivities; "Arancine di riso"; "Pizze alla siciliana", fried
and stuffed with cheese and anchovies. Finally, the pastry shop, rich and
fanciful. Delicious are the cakies made up of almonds, from the optimal one "granita
di torrone", "pasta reale", obtained forging the bread in
sculptures colored from the several shapes: fruits, fish, puppets,
etc. Also the annealed one, that it is a product many diffu
sed in Acireale, comes skillfully worked and used in
pastry shop, in order to obtain very good "cannoli" and the sicilian cassata
. It freezes to you are famous, thanks above all to the skill of the pastry
cooks of long tradition who enrich them with cream, yields fresh, chocolate
fused, pistachio nuts and hazel-nuts and serve them in great goblets
which it is a much difficult to resist. After a day entire dedicated to the the relax, continued to table with
good plates made up of fish
as soon as fished they will exalt
to you: from the paste to the grilled, marinated second, filling. To contrast the
marine menù there are the greens. The eggplants, prepared in thousand different
ways, fried the most applauded, stuffed, in bitters
weet or the "caponata"
( mixed greens and cooked entirety) eat all the year but in order to avoid
undesired gravities, we advise you not to misuse of, council that you can also
not take in consideration if you have wants not to watch the needle of the
balance in the vacation days. To accompany the green or fish plates we advise
to an optimal "Anthilia" white wine, with intense scent, fine and
complex, with taste of fruit, from the dry, fresh, full taste
and of good aromatic persistence. Refined and most pleasant also like aperitif.
Not to lose, absolutely, the inimitable taste of the sicilian cheese, the
"Pecorino", cheese to pistachio taste,nuts from the rich and intense
sapore. It is concentrated of aromas,and leaves a bitter taste, but grated on
the paste it creates a particular fresh taste, thanks to the pistachio nut.
You can eate it either primitive, with two months of seasoning, either concentrated
with eight months of rest, it does not come salty because it in pickling brine
for an entire day can itself be cut to slices and be put or to dip it in the
Corvo wine. The conclusion of a typically sicilian lunch, like not tasting
mythical the sicilian "cassata" , made up of annealed and candy, these last ones
accompany of frequent, freeze to you, cakes, pies of every kind. The drink is a good glass of sweet liqueur, to choose between the Marsala, Zibibbo and Passito.
For one drunk fresh to the bar in public square milk of almonds or one cooling
granita in many tastes, we advise that one to you to the pistachio nut or to the
almonds, indeed alternatives. And for an unforgettable evening, "le mille ed una
notte", a beautiful wine, typical speciality of Sicily.
