At last year’s Presepe Vivente (Living Nativity scene) in Custonaci, Sicily, they presented an old fashioned olive press. For this antique method, ripe olives were placed in the round, stone trough, the horse was attached to the wooden beam, and when he walked in a circle, he pulled the round, upright stone press that crushed…
Category: Seasons
Cuccidati: Sicilian Christmas Cookies
Cuccidati, pictured, are traditional Sicilian cookies stuffed with dried fig filling. Associated with Christmas, both professional and home bakers make them, and some are more elaborately decorated than others. The filling is made with (This is a common recipe, but not all are exactly the same.) chopped dried figs, pumpkin jam, honey, raisins, almonds, orange…
Appreciation For The Connection Of Life And Death
Novembre 2 is the Day of the Dead (Giorno dei Morti or in Sicilian, Un juornu re muorti), also known as All Souls Day. Sicilians, who have a profound appreciation for the connection of life and death, spend this holiday recognizing their dead loved ones by visiting their graves, often enjoying a picnic while at…
The Power Of The Pomegranate
Pomegranates (melograni in Italian) are in season. Scholars believe that the fruit was brought to Sicily by both the Phoenicians and the Greeks, not only for food, but also for religious reasons. Pomegranate seeds represent fertility, prosperity, abundance, and generosity. And because of the Persephone myth–when the maiden daughter of the goddess Demeter eats the…
Bring Heat To Your 2020 With A Trip To Sicily
Bring heat to your 2020 with a trip to Sicily! I’m thrilled to announce our Experience Sicily 2020 small-group, multisensory tours. May, June, July, and September… all of the details are at https://experiencesicily.com/2020-tours-of-sicily/. The joy we’ll create together will warm your soul for years to come. Amuni’! Let’s experience Sicily together! (Photo Credit: Chiara Musumeci…
Averna: Sicily’s After Dinner Bitter
Averna is an amaro, or a bitter liqueur that many Italians drink after dinner as a digestif. Amari (plural of amaro) can have bitter, sour, or bittersweet taste as a result of the aromatic herbs, bark, fruit, roots, rinds, and more that are combined to create the cocktail. Averna, which was founded in 1868 by…
The Sea (Or Mountains) For Ferragosto
Buon Ferragosto! Ferragosto is the most important holiday of the year for Italians after Christmas and Easter. Synonymous with thoughts of the sea and the mountains (i.e. Vacation), the name Ferragosto is the more common name for the Catholic Feast of the Assumption which occurs annually on August 15.
Happy Tomato Season | Cart Driver’s Pesto Recipe
Happy tomato season! Did you know that you can make pesto with lots of different ingredients? Pesto means pressed. So don’t limit yourself to basil pesto! Another pesto that I love for this time of year, when fresh tomatoes are filling the bins of my farmer’s market, is pesto alla carrettiera, or the Cart Driver’s…
The Easter Bread Arches of San Biagio Platani
Live from Sicily! We’ve experienced so much during these past two days while in Agrigento Province. A highlight has been seeing the work of the two brotherhoods from San Biagio Platini for their annual Archi di Pane, or the Easter Bread Arches. An Easter Sunday procession that unites Jesus and Mary in the center of…
Join Us For Saint Joseph’s Day In New York City
Let’s bake bread together! Let’s celebrate spring’s arrival! Saint Joseph’s Day is approaching, and I hope you’ll celebrate with me Sundays, March 10 and 24 at Cacio e Vino in New York City. The big feast is on Sunday, March 24 at 2PM. We’ll have a prix-fixe traditional menu, a presentation about traditions in southern…