“Mastazzolo” or “Mustazzolo” is a baked cookie with a hard dense texture that can be filled with honey (mastazzola di meli), cooked wine (mastazzola di vinucuttu) or prickly pear (mastazzola di ficudinii). The consumption of the

Not just food, the Leonforte fava bean also serves rotating with wheat, to enrich the soil with nitrogen. They still are a mainstay-ingredient of leonfortese cooking. Cultivation is still done entirely by hand. In November and D

If you visit Centuripe during the Christmas season, it’s easy to find an opportunity to sample “Bersagliere”, a cake covered with chocolate that was created during the Second World War. It appears that the origin of this cake is

In Sicily all the holidays on the calendar are characterized by traditional sweets, the “cucciddati” are categorized as Christmas sweets; they were originally bread with dried fruit (figs, almonds, raisins, nuts, etc.). The name

Other recognized “traditional food”, Guammelle are biscuits made with flour, sugar and eggs, destined for fresh consumption and not for conservation. The realization, thanks to interviews to the holders of traditional recipes, d

Dried figs and almonds, a riot of flavors inside a colored biscuit. So you could briefly describe “Buccellato”, rectangular biscuit filling that leads to the palate summer flavors even when it is winter. Both those with figs (Pi

It is a typical dish from the Sicilian tradition closely related to December 13, the feast of Santa Lucia. Cuccìa is a pudding made from cooked wheat, seasoned to your liking. Originally the cuccìa was a simple soup of boiled wh

Pignolata is a typical Southern Italian dessert and in particular in Sicily. It is a dessert that takes its name from its peculiar pinecone shape. This specialty is prepared throughout Sicily and is reminiscent of Neapolitan str

They are typical Sicilian Christmas sweets, in Ennese dialect they are called “vurciddati” or “picciddata”. The term buccellato comes from the Latin “buccellatum” bread that is divided into buccelli, or pieces. It is a mixture o

This is one of the many, delicious, baked pasta dishes that are prepared in Sicily. Sicilian pasta ‘ncasciata is a traditional dish from Enna, made with ingredients very tasty, like cauliflower, stewed pork and cheese “caciocava

The Frascatula is a thick cornmeal or maize polenta, spread throughout the island, it is prepared by pouring the flour in boiling water, cooking it for about ten minutes and then flavoring it with vegetables (such as borage, chi

It is a hearty peasant dish that originated in the province of Agrigento, but its preparation has spread throughout Sicily. It is a bean cream made with dried and shelled beans with long cooking time, so that when they are crush

A definite specialty from Enna is the “guastedda” also called “vastedda cu sammucu” or “nfigghiulata”. It is a cake with medieval origins that is abundantly stuffed with chunks of sausage and Tuma, but also can be filled in vari

Did you know that in Enna produces an alternative crop? It’s saffron, a precious spice with intense color known as “red gold”. Since the Middle Ages it was imported and in 1200 it was used as a bargaining chip instead of money.

Cuddureddi are sweet pastry in a circular shape (8 cm in diameter and about 1-1.5 in tall) characterized by a filling of cooked wine and almonds. They are cooked in the oven while keeping the external dough (almost like an embro

Thanks to the quality pecorino cheese produced in the area, Caltagirone has been named among the Sicilian cities known for its cheese. A ricotta base is prepared for many irresistible desserts inherited from the Arab tradition:

The typical Easter sweets with a preparation of bread dough and cooked in a wood oven. They contain, a wrapped or exposed chicken egg. They are often very colorfully decorated with sprinkles, sugar and cloves. What makes panared

Also “a cubbaita” and “a giuggiulena” belong to the muslim food tradition. The first is a soft nougat that includes ingredients like candied orange, cooked wine, chickpeas and honey (another typical production of the calatino di

For San Giuseppe it was tradition that on the altars dedicated to him 33 symbolic loaves were prepared. Apparently that was called “U Cunzulu da Bedda Matri”, the funeral feast offered consolation to the Virgin Mary on the occas

Piazza Armerina is also synonymous with almond wine, a white wine worked with the very delicate and fragrant essence of almond. Served cold, it can be an excellent aperitif or an ideal pairing with delicious traditional Sicilian

In the past, almond spread in Mediterranean countries, in Asia and in Africa, for its beauty and for its precious seed. In Sicily, it landed with the Phoenicians and it was used for the preparation of delicious desserts and, sin

The quality of the tree determines the olive oil produced. Here, in the hills of Leonforte, a Moorish quality is cultivated. The oil made from it is unique with its distinctive fruity and faint bitter and spicy aftertastes with

There is a specific area in Enna that risks extinction due to EU policy, because they are unable to be subjected to intensive cultivation. Even the sight of it is reminiscent of ancient medieval paintings of folk life. It can be

It is a kind of frost, the prickly pear mustard. It comes from the fruit (and the plant) that is often associated with Sicily and Sicilian: dangerous thorns outside, colors and sweetness as soon as you exceed the impenetrable sk

Defining it “pasta” is an understatement, perhaps. It is rather an alchemy of flour, water and salt that, once prepared, is ready for the sauce. It is a product not intended for drying but for immediate consumption, which makes

The “Maccu”, which for Sicilians is often a puree of cereals or legumes, since time immemorial has filled the island’s tables. Especially in the area of Aidone, the wheat version is widespread; simply seasoned with olive oil, it