Experience Sicily

Tag: dolce

  • Sicily’s Watermelon Sugar

    Watermelon Sugar…. Ideal for a hot summer day, gelu di mulune or, in Italian, gelo d’anguria (or gelo di melone), is a watermelon custard that is served chilled, in little cups. This one, made at the not-to-be-missed shop of il Monastero di Santa Caterina d’Alessandria in Palermo, is topped with chocolate chips (Jasmine flowers and…

  • Sicily’s Breast Shaped Pastry

    When you see this pastry show up in every pasticceria in Sicily, you know February is upon us. Minna di Sant’Agata (or Minna di Sant’Aita in Sicilian), or Saint Agatha’s Breast, is made and eaten in honor of the Sant’Agata, Catania’s patroness. The breast-shaped pastry represents the virgin martyr who is the patron saint of…

  • A Sicilian Dessert Made With Grape Juice

    Mosto d’uva, or grape must, which is normally used to make wine, can also be used to make Gelu d’uva (Let’s call it “grape mousse” in English.). Our hosts in Licodia Eubea showed us how to make this typical dessert during our cooking experience during July’s Life in A Remote Sicilian Town tour. Gelu d’uva…

  • Sicilian Pastry Shaped Like A Breast: Minna di Sant’Agata

    One of the iconic elements of the feast of Sant’Agata–and lighter ones too–is the Minna di Sant’Agata (or Minna di Sant’Aita in Sicilian), or Saint Agatha’s Breast, a pastry that you’ll find this time of year made and eaten in honor of the saint. I ate this sweet ricotta-filled pastry covered with layers of marzipan…

  • Saint Agatha’s Breasts

    Make no mistake, these pastry are created to look like breasts. And, I will say also, that it is a celebration of them! I’m preparing you for the big feast in Catania. From February 3 to 5, Eastern Sicily’s largest city (and the second largest in Sicily) is alive with passionate fervor as devotees celebrate…

  • Pasquetta and Cassata

    Pasquetta, or Easter Monday, is a day to celebrate spring’s arrival with good friends. Social gatherings in Sicily almost always involve sharing a meal, and most meals are followed by sweets. Cassata cake (picture) is one of those sweets that can be found throughout the island. In the past, cassata used to be associated with…

  • Summertime Delight: Gelu di mulune

    During summer, and especially at Ferragosto (August 15), Sicilians eat gelu di mulune or, in Italian, gelo d’ anguria, a watermelon custard that is served chilled, in little cups. Ideal for a hot summer day, this one was made by my cousin Tanina. She decorated it with jasmine flowers.

  • Here Comes the Cassata

    There is much debate about the origins of cassata cake, but one thing is clear: it is as elaborate as the Baroque architecture one finds throughout Sicily–and it is as decadent. So much so, that until the mid-20th century, cassata was only eaten by the masses on Easter Sunday. Cassata is made up of sponge…

  • Keeping You Abreast

    From February 3 to 5 the city of Catania is alive with passionate fervor as devotees celebrate their patron, Saint Agatha. These ricotta-filled pastry, pictured, called “minna di Sant’Aita” or Saint Agatha’s Breast represent Agatha, who is the patron saint of martyrs, bakers, earthquakes, wet nurses, and breast cancer patients. Her story starts in early…