Sicilian food reflects the history and the geography of the island of Sicily. By this we mean that with each foreign invader different styles of food were introduced, and of course as Sicily is a volcanic island with a warm climate, fish and fruit and vegetables can be found in abundance. Many recipes are very simple and the focus is on using fresh ingredients. The 'ready-meal' has thankfully not gained much popularity in Sicily.

Who brought what? The Greeks: Honey, Wine, Ricotta, Olives The Romans: Wheat, Grains, Pulses The Saracens: Sugar Cane, Citrus Fruits, Aubergines, Rice, Spices, Tuna traps, vegetables, cous cous The Normans: Dried Fish The Angevins: Sweet Short crust Pastry, Farsumagru, Eel with Spices, Bechamel Sauce The Aragonese: Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Squash, Chocolate, Prickly Pear
Sicilian food is always made with fresh ingredients. Fruit and vegetables are often either grown yourself or bought at the local market or fruit and vegetable stand. Olive oil is used generously and many Sicilians either make their own or know someone that makes it, and gets a supply from them. Home made olive oil is very intense in flavour and smell and is usually unfiltered. Just thinking about the smell of drizzling fresh olive oil onto a plate of steaming hot pasta is making me hungry.
Strange Sicilian Dish Names The Sicilian sense of humour and use of vulgarities has extended itself to foods. You can find dishes called: pregnant buns, virgin's breasts, nuns' thighs, hen's turds and lasagni cacati (faeces lasagne).

Below are a few Sicilian recipes. Please send in your favourite recipes for us to put on the site. We also recommend buying a good Sicilian cook book.