This long, light green summer vegetable is a type of zucchini squash that is very typical of Sicily. Sicilians call it “cucuzza longa.” They cut it up and fry it with breadcrumbs. They make a light pasta sauce with onions, tomatoes, and potatoes with it. They make soups with it. And they also make a sweet paste with it that is called cucuzzata Siciliana and is often used as a base for desserts. I took this photo at Ballaro’ market in Palermo.
Allison Scola is founder, owner, and curator of Experience Sicily and the Cannoli Crawl. Named one of the experts for the 2019 New York Times Travel Show, Scola writes and lectures on Sicily and leads immersive tours and designs custom itineraries that delight discerning travelers. She has been featured on Rudy Maxa’s World with the Carey’s, America’s #1 Travel Radio Show and as the cannoli expert in the documentary Cannoli, Traditions Around the Table. Scola has lectured about Sicily at University of Pennsylvania, The New School, LIU Post University, Queens College, Westchester Italian Cultural Center, at high schools in the New York City metropolitan area, and at events in New York City.
