A wonderfully fertile land
offering a wealth of produce; the sea, with its unique variety of fish:
these are the two inseparable elements which go to make up Sicilian cuisine.
It is therefore essentially an agricultural and maritime cuisine, often
simple but always genuine, with a thousand different nuances. The centuries
of domination of the island by various populations have also enriched the
range of typical local dishes with new ingredients and usual flavours.
In the town or in the country,
in the humblest cottages or in numerous villas and castles that testify to
the island's noble architectural heritage, the dishes prepared are in no way
inferior to the most international gastronomic masterpieces. Sicilian
civilisation is unique and has preserved its particular features over the
years. Its various aspect find full expression in the local cuisine, where
the preparation of food becomes a launching pad for the imagination and the
innate elegance that is such an essential part of the islanders' extremely
rich historical and cultural heritage. Conviviality is perhaps more
widespread here than anywhere else in the world. It is no coincidence that
pasta was born in Sicily along with sweet and sour sauces, cassata, stuffed
meats and a wide variety of stewed vegetables. Not to mention the wide range
of delicacies imported from the Middle East and Spain, with their hints of
myth, legend, religion, aristocratic beauty and poetry.
All these elements combine to draw people together, to create occasions for
lively parties.
Sicilian wines deserves a separate mention. The luxuriant Sicilian vineyards
offer a wide choice. They were praised by Pliny and over the centuries their
strength and flavour have come to be appreciated by connoisseurs all over
the world. The main motif of Sicilian cuisine is, as we have seen,
tradition, genuine ingredients, and simplicity - a heritage dictated by the
very essence of the Sicilian character, a treasure to be protected and
preserved.
(from "The Ancient Art of Cooking", by Eleonora Consoli)
About Caponata …
"… It was the colour that struck me first. The colour of darkness. A heap of
cubes of that unmistakeably luminescent dark, dark purple-reddish golden
richness, glimmering from a baroque canvas, that comes from eggplants, black
olives, tomato and olive oil densely cooked together, long and gently. The
colour of southern Italian cooking. Caponata was one of the world's great
sweet and sour dishes, sweet sour and savoury. The eggplant was the heart of
caponata. The celery hearts were the most striking component: essential and
surprising. …"
(from "Midnight in Sicily" by Peter Robb, 1998)
