Viva Santa Lucia! Cuccìa, pictured, is a pudding made from wheat berries (or barley, spelt, or farro) prepared in honor of the Feast of Santa Lucia, December 13. Cuccìa became the traditional dish of the feast because during a famine in the 17th century, Siracusans prayed to Lucia, the patroness of wheat and grain, for…
Category: Food/Cuisine
Otherworldly In Agrigento, Sicily
Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the foot of the remains of an ancient Greek temple from the 5th century B.C.E., like the Temple of Castor and Pollux, pictured left. After learning about the thriving civilization that built Agrigento in the centuries before the common era from your archaeologist-guide, you’ll then savor a picnic…
Fun And Food In The Bronx
Fun and food-filled day on Arthur Avenue with Arthur Avenue Food Tours! Check out on NY1 on Wednesday morning at 6:50, 7:50, and 8:50 am, when today’s tour and our hosts Danielle Oteri and Christian Galliani will show you the way in The Bronx’s Little Italy. Then on Saturday evening, Dec. 15, join me and…
Thank You To Cacio E Vino And All
Thank you to Cacio e Vino and everyone who came today to Celebrate La Festa di Santa Lucia! My heart is full of joy! Viva Santa Lucia! Save the dates for our San Giuseppe events: March 10 for ritual bread making and March 24 for the Feast at Cacio e Vino. Registration available in February.
Rice Balls, Glorious Rice Balls
Before I continue with the significance of the December 13 Feast for Santa Lucia, let’s talk about the really serious stuff! That is, that Palermitani celebrate the Saint by eating arancine. Arancine (as they are known in Palermo, pictured right; Arancini, if you’re from the east side of Sicily, pictured left), are rice balls filled…
Santa Lucia Lunch Sun., Dec. 9 in New York City
In Siracusa, Sicily last spring, I thanked Santa Lucia for guiding me through last winter–a particularly long and arduous one for me. Now, days from the winter solstice, I invite you to join me for our annual Experience Sicily luncheon celebrating the patroness of light, eyes, sight, and wheat on Sunday, Dec. 9 in New…
Busiate: Sicily’s Curly Pasta
Busiate pasta is particular to western Sicily, specifically Trapani province. It’s special because it’s made to look like ringlets, and when it is made by hand, it is created by wrapping the dough around thin, long reeds and rolling and pulling your hand in a particular way, creating the curls. From personal experience, I can…
Making Friends in Il Capo Market
Palermo has three ancient markets: Vucciria, Ballarò, and Il Capo. Vucciria isn’t what it was 40 years ago when Renato Guttuso painted it, which is perhaps a good thing. Now, during the day, it is smaller and host to a few food stands and many antiques and collectible vendors. At night, however, when it comes…
We Like Cannoli
Today’s Small Business Saturday Experience Sicily Cannoli Crawl was a ton of fun! Excellent food, and our Cannoli Connoisseurs were right on with their Cannoli Conclusions. We’ve got only a handful of spots left on the upcoming tours: December 15 and 22 in NYC. Use the code SMALLBIZ by Monday, November 26 at noon to…
Hands-on Cooking In Sicily
In September, Chef Giuseppe Sciurca taught us how to make Sarde alla Beccafico (stuffed, fresh sardines) during one of our three cooking experiences of our Experience Sicily Stirring Sicily tour. Next September for Stirring Sicily 2019, we’ll be back in his hometown of Termini Imerese for more cooking in Sicily. Itinerary details at https://experiencesicily.com/tours-of-sicily/2019-tours-of-sicily/stirring-sicily-west-sept-2019/