Agriturismo in Sicily: what to eat on the island
Ancient, spicy, tasty: this is the island's gastronomic tradition, which you will appreciate even more by booking your holidays in a farmhouse in Sicily, which knows how to combine hospitality with the production of local products.
Sicily is the crystalline sea, Etna with its lava flows, the hills that thin out towards incredibly fertile plains, the islands that look like jewels set in the blue of the waters and a nature that in all its manifestations appears for what it is: pristine and sublime. And in between, the farmhouses of Sicily, which in addition to allowing you to enjoy the renowned hospitality of the region, allow you to taste the Sicilian specialties, which, trust me, are second to none.
The success of Sicilian recipes has its origins in two factors: the influences of foreign peoples, who have dominated these lands over the centuries, and the gastronomic tradition of the island, which has been able to focus on the resources of the sea and territory. Just like the farmhouses in Sicily have been able to do, which today offer only local products of excellent quality and typical dishes of the region's culinary tradition.
Agriturismo in Sicily: Sicilian cuisine between past and present
Sicily is located in a strategic position, right in front of the coasts of Africa and was the crossroads of most of the commercial traffic of the past. For this reason, it has been the object of the expansionist aims of various peoples, starting with the Arabs, whose passage can be traced, for example, to the use of saffron: what would the famous Sicilian arancini be without this spice?
But you will notice the foreign influences on the Sicilian gastronomic tradition above all when you sit at the table in one of the many farmhouses on the island. You may not know it, but the sponge cake, used in the making of many Sicilian desserts, is a legacy of the Spanish domination. Just as the use of onion is due to the French one. As with the rest of Europe, then, tomatoes are an integral part of Sicilian cuisine thanks to the discovery of America, while for recipes based on game, we must even go back to the times of the Norman invasions.
A potpourri of flavors, aromas and traditions, which today is the basis of Sicilian recipes. However, they also make use of the island's typical products, many of which are DOP.
Typical Sicilian products
Are you finally sitting in a Sicilian farmhouse and you don't know what to order? Throw yourself on the local products of Sicily! Thanks to the peasant vocation of Sicilian cuisine, cheeses reign supreme. The Sicilian Pecorino, for example, has nothing to envy to the Roman one, while the Caciocavallo releases flavors that come from the past, given that this cheese has always been produced throughout the region.
If you love delicate flavors, ricotta is the cheese for you: just think, it has been made since the time of the Greeks! But if you love those decided, opt instead for a plate of Piacentinu Ennese, cheese enriched with saffron, or for the Provola dei Nebrodi, made with sheep's milk. A riot of taste that will require more than a drop of wine to be fully appreciated!
Among the legumes, we cannot forget the Cosaruciaru Beans of Scicli and the Lentils of Villalba, with which the Sicilians prepare delicious soups, while at the end of the meal, just to pass the time, you could see the Pistachios of Bronte or the almonds of Noto, with which the famous almond milk is also prepared. And finally, end your meal with a Sicilian cannoli, the typical sweet of Sicily, known and appreciated all over the world.
In short, staying in a farmhouse in Sicily is the best way to get to know and enjoy the taste of a gastronomic tradition that is unique in the world, which has managed to combine the simplicity of popular cuisine with the refinement of recipes once intended only for the nobility. A mix of flavors that you can also ensure by purchasing Sicilian products online, directly from local producers.
Go to the shop to discover the available products
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