The Greeks and then the Romans were the first to use beans for cooking, as attested in the comedy The Frogs by Aristophanes and in the works of Pliny According to the tradition, ‘u paìsi du maccu (i.e. the village of the maccu) would be Raffadali, in the province of Agrigento. To the inhabitants...
Its name comes from the Italian verb granire, meaning to reduce to grains. Its arrival on the island, instead, is due to the Arab gastronomic tradition, as during their domination in Sicily they imported a frozen drink flavored with fruit juices and called sherbet Anyone in the world has not heard of it at...
There is no doubt that this word, whether it indicates a feminine hairstyle or the prominence of the exquisite brioche that comes with the granita, hides something curious in its etymological history. But what? Think of the girls who like to gather their hair in a tight chignon behind their neck. Now think of...
Unlike what one might think, this dessert was not invented after the canonization of the young sicilian martyr and would have its roots in the cults in honour of the goddesses Isis and then Demeter, both common in ancient times in Sicily There is no person from Catania nor tourist who does not know...
For those who live in Sicily, it is not necessary to travel overseas to discover the origins and some curiosities related to the pumpkin, since in the southernmost region of Italy the so-called cucùzza has a lot to tell Autumn is the season of Halloween, All Saints Day and … Pumpkins! These fruits of...
Many texts written in Sicilian have existed and have been recorded for centuries, as this idiom was the official language of some communities. Today, however, the situation has changed, and its definition remains controversial even according to the most important international associations The debate on the nature of the Sicilian is still open and...
If we wanted to paraphrase its meaning, we could think of the adjective sloppy or scruffy, although few linguistic and etymological studies exist today on its origin and meanings The Sicilian dialect has been famous for centuries for the untranslatability of some linguistic and cultural concepts, which are the result of a history linked...
An example of Sicilian versatility is given by the term cùddura, which indicates a type of loaf widespread in general in the South of Italy and whose etymology comes from the Greek. Surprisingly, it has distinct meanings according to the province where it is eaten
Present both in the festive home tables and in the butcher shops of Sicily (the so-called chiànchi), this dish is widespread also in some areas of Campania and Calabria, which were once part of the Kingdom of Naples. Its diffusion testifies to the reliability of the ancient saying “du majàli un si jetta nenti”,...
During this time of the year, this particular delicacy graces every Sicilian table. How this tradition came about and what makes this chocolate cookies so irresistible? With the arriving of the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, Sicily is populated by legends, traditions and above all typical foods. They appear in our grandparents’ stories,...
