PECULIARITIES OF SICILIAN GASTRONOMY.

Italy is a country that has a great culinary richness. Moreover, each territory and therefore each region has its own characteristic dishes that have become a source of recognition and common identity. Sicily, in this situation, is no exception. Sicilian gastronomic culture shows the traces and contributions of each people who has passed through these lands. It is therefore a thousand-year-old culture that has been handed down from generation to generation.In modern times, the gastronomy of this area has become one of the reasons for attracting tourists. Moreover, it should be pointed out that, as a result of the emigration of Sicilians a few decades ago, this specific cuisine has been exported to many places far from its land of origin.Sicilian cuisine is complex and articulated and is often considered the richest in specialities and the most scenic in Italy. Some of the best-known foods, which are not only regionally but also globally popular, are cassata siciliana, iris, cannolo siciliano, granita and arancine. Thanks to its mild climate, the island is rich in spices and aromatic plants: oregano, mint and rosemary are part of Sicilian condiments every day. The fertile soil produces oranges and lemons in large quantities. Almonds, prickly pears, pistachios and olives are other products that have become culinary symbols in great demand throughout Italy and abroad.Who does not know the Bronte pistachios,the  Cerda artichokes or the Mazara del Vallo red prawns? Also, a specific mention to the chocolate from Modica.A further characteristic of Sicilian cuisine is that each territory, limited to a very specific and small area, boasts culinary uniqueness to such an extent that the same recipe becomes almost impossible to find if you move to another part of the island. Panelle, or chickpea-flour fritters, for example, are characteristic of Palermo. The cannolo, although common throughout the island, finds its own specificity in Dattilo, a very small town in the Trapani area. There, the ricotta cheese is made in a rustic way.In Castellammare del Golfo, where I live, the desserts include “cassatella”, a fried cream puff  filled with ricotta and chocolate.In a nearby town, Alcamo, one of the local specialities is the so-called “minna di virgini” (virgin’s breast) because of its particular dome shape filled with ricotta or cream.