Sicilian Cooking

The island of Sicily is home to a unique style of cooking not found anywhere else in Italy. With the region being an island, it has helped preserve and maintain the traditional attributes associated with the cooking techniques and recipes over the centuries. The many cultures that occupied the island in ancient times, introduced the islanders to many new types of produce and spices that are today, an essential part of Sicilian cooking.

Unlike traditional Italian cuisine, Sicilian dishes mark upon the importance of keeping food simple and fresh, without masking the tastes with over complicated sauces and heavy spices. Compared to what Americans associate with Italian food, the Sicilian cooking style is considered to be more Mediterranean. This style allows the natural flavor of the food to come through in almost every dish.

Many Americans associate all Italian cuisine with tomato sauces, pork, beef, cheeses, pasta and cream sauces. This is not so with authentic Sicilian dishes. The most common ingredients used in Sicilian cooking include tuna, sardines, citrus fruits, nuts, dried fruits such as dates, lentils, beans and leafy green vegetables just to name a few.

Most of the Italian dishes served in restaurants chains in the United States are pasta, cheese and meat based, which are usually indicative to the mainland regions of Italy. This has given many Americans the mistaken impression that all cuisine is basically the same throughout Italy.

The Sicilian cooking style is very different from what Americans consider to be traditional Italian cooking. Ancient explorers brought many new spices to the island of Sicily not found in many Italian styles of cooking. Sicilian dishes have been influenced by the Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Northern Europeans, Spaniards and even cultures from the Americas. This is seen most notably through spices such as coriander, cumin, chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, saffron, vanilla, cilantro, mint and lemongrass that are used in several Sicilian recipes.

Vegetables and fish form the base of many Sicilian recipes. This can be seen in antipasti, soups, salads, pestos, pastas and seafood dishes. These recipes highlight the uniqueness of the Sicilian region compared to the mainland regions of Italy.

Science is now proving that diets high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and fish have many health benefits. Now with many more Americans becoming health conscious, Sicilian dishes are starting to show up more on Italian restaurant menus. This is attributed to the many vegetable and fish dishes that are the cornerstones of Sicilian cooking.

Many Italian desserts, such as gelato, granita, cookies, cakes and cannolis can be traced back to ancient Sicilian recipes. Several of the Sicilian dessert recipes vary from family to family depending on the abundance of ingredients that were readily available at the time. Hence why, these desserts were usually reserved for holidays and special occasions.

The art of Sicilian cooking is different from what most Americans would consider typical Italian cooking. Even though there are some similar ingredients, the Sicilian culture has showcased the uniqueness of the island making its dishes stand apart from most of the regions in Italy.