🍝The best things I ate in Sicily

Deep fried lasagne! Cremolata! Meat Cookies!

My partner and I had a beautiful holiday in Sicily, where she has dear friends and I had never been. It’s a beautiful place - full of amazing views, rich food and quirky villages, but we were unlucky with the weather. It rained for several days, and the seas were stormy throughout. It’s hard not to feel like I’m complaining when I say that the break didn’t refresh me the way I’d hoped. But that’s OK. Not every trip is a winner and it’s OK to allow yourself to feel disappointed. 

Sicily is a fascinating place. It’s roughly a third the size of Ireland, but home to almost 5 million people. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, which is the tallest active volcano in Europe. She was burping away while we were there! We began (& ended) our trip in the capital, Palermo with stops in Taormina, Marzamemi, Noto, Modica, Ortigia and Ragusa Ibla.¹ Owing to its colonial past, Sicily is a melting pot of North African, Arab, French, Spanish and other cultures. For me, this was most clearly expressed in the food. Here are some of my culinary highlights from the trip: 

Breakfast

The typical breakfast in Sicily is a fresh, warm brioche served with a glass of frozen granita, usually flavoured with fruit, coffee or (my partner’s favourite) pistachio. This was a combination that felt bizarre until I tried it. The soft, buttery pastry contrasts beautifully with fresh, sweet granita making it both a satiating and refreshing start to the day. The other breakfast option was a savory pastry stuffed with mozzarella and meat, usually pork of various kinds. I tried it one or twice, but it was much too rich for me. As I often do, I bought a bag of porridge and started my day with that! 

Pasta

Of course I ate a lot of pasta. Much of it was served with either seafood (right is swordfish) or ravioli covered with a kind of Sicilian pesto made with pistachios, almond, tomatoes, basil and garlic (left). Both were amazing. The typical pasta shape is the busiate, which are like tiny telephone cords. 

On a rainy night, we went to what the Italians call an ‘agri-tourisme’ place which was essentially a farm with a modest dining room attached where they serve simple dishes using their own produce. I ordered a ravioli with tomato sauce and devoured it before I could even take a picture. The ricotta was delicately sweet which contrasted with the rich, moreish tomato sauce. It was one of the best (& simplest!) meals of the holiday. 

Sides

When eating out, I always try to get a ‘green thing’ for the table. No matter how rich the rest of the meal, I like the idea of balancing it with something that once was a plant. In Sicily, the most celebrated side dish is Caponata. It’s a vegetable dish made up of aubergines, celery, onion, pine nuts and raisins, finished with vinegar. To me, it felt almost ratatouille-adjacent, though it was often too sour for me. Instead, we opted for a plate of grilled vegetables dressed in ‘evo’ and salt. ‘Evo’, I soon learned, stands for extra virgin olive oil. As often happens in Italian cuisine, so simple and so, so good.

Dolce

Sicilian cuisine is quite sweet and their desserts are among their most celebrated dishes. Cannoli are one of the island's greatest exports. These deep-fried pastry tubes are full of sweet, creamy ricotta and finished with chocolate drops or pistachio crumbs. They’re amazing, but too sweet for me. After two bites, I’d had enough. 

We visited Modica which is known for its unique chocolate making process. Rather than using sugar in the production process, they add it at the end which gives the final product a vaguely gravelly texture. Not bad necessarily, but strange. I also tried a 'Mpanatigghi, which is a kind of meat-chocolate cookie and am happy to report that they weren’t great. We don’t need meat in our desserts!

Friends recommended insisted that we visit this place for a Cremolata, which is a kind of creamy granita that’s similar to sherbet. We had the ricotta flavored Cremolata topped with pistachios, chocolate shards and whole almonds with a side of pistachio ice-cream as if that wasn’t enough sugar! The owner also offered us the chance to try a Tiramisu Cremolata which they were developing, which was also mind-blowingly good! I don’t have a sweet tooth, but these desserts were astoundingly good! 

Fried things

The Sicilians love to fry things! I’m still marveling over the deep fried lasagne I had on my first night. I’d like to shake the hand of the person who looked at a piece of lasagne and thought “this could be more delicious. I could deep fry this”.

My partner and I also had a satisfying late supper in a place which only served arancini balls. What’s not to love about a ball of creamy risotto rice, stuffed with delicious things, breaded and deep fried? I had the ragu and spinach options which did not disappoint. To me, it’s the best ‘on the way home from a night out’ food. If there was a food truck in Dublin serving these, they’d make a fortune.

Our best meal

The best meal of the holiday was in a place called Naché. It was a bit more polished than our typical meal, but not in any way stuffy or pretentious. The perfect combination of fresh ingredients respectfully prepared, without too much fluff or fanciness. 

A quick note on service: 

As a rule, the customer service in Sicily was very poor. It wasn’t uncommon to ask for a bill and wait aaaages for it to arrive. Often, people who arrived after us were served before us. Several waiters were openly rude and dismissive. My partner and I talked a lot about the cultural differences between Italians (North and South) and Irish people, together with what it must be like to live in a place that’s so reliant on tourism as the season comes to an end. We did have some lovely experiences with the locals, but on the whole, I think I would have had a better time if I’d adjusted my expectations before I arrived. 

If you’re tight on time & visiting a new place, I’d recommend getting something to take away and eating as you wander.  You might have a delicious meal if you opt to sit down, but it’ll likely take several hours to order, eat, pay and get out of there. 

It’s also quite common to eat late at night. We sat down for dinner at 9.30pm which was hard on my tummy which had quit work for the day and was preparing to sleep. 

What I read

When I wasn’t eating, I was reading. I read these four gems all of which I heartily recommend, though I haven’t finished The Overstory yet. 

1. Travelling between villages meant spending a lot of time in the car which brings me to one additional caveat: I really don’t recommend Sicily as a destination if you’ve experienced road trauma. I’m still haunted by some of the reckless road behaviour we witnessed.