I DOLCI SICILIANI

The Blue Guide to Sicily on Sicilian confectionery:

Sweets and cakes in Sicily are a delightful riot of colors, aromas, and flavors:  there are the simple, fragrant breakfast pastries; crystallized and candied fruits; miniature figures and fruits made of marzipan; nougat; biscuits made with almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts; crunchy cannoli filled with ricotta cheese; and the Baroque complexities of the magnificent cassata siciliana (below).

Sicilian dolci (sweets) are a pagan delight born out of Greek and Roman antique culinary traditions, enhanced and refined by Arab and Bourbon ingredients and techniques.  The philosophy behind them is that more is always more and never less.  The rule is the sum of the parts:  The combination and tension of distinct, sometimes opposite, flavors exist together and never merge or subordinate themselves to a greater synthetic whole.  In truth, i dolci siciliani are a microcosm of the island itself, which has been invaded by the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Romans, the Carthaginians, the Normans, the Spanish, the French, and the Italians.  The myriad cultural influences of millennia of invasions of disparate peoples remain vivid in the quotidian life of the kitchen and are written eloquently in Sicilian confectionery.

Easter Marzipan Chicks

When it comes to sweets, it's all about the ingredients.  Pistachios, hazelnuts, pine nuts, and raisins are indigenous to Sicily and were used by the Greeks and Romans.  In the 9th c. the Arabs introduced almonds, apricots, many varieties of citrus, sweet melons, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, and most importantly sugar cane, which totally transformed the art of confectionery.  In the 17^th c. the Spanish Bourbons brought cocoa, butter, cream, and an affinity for French theatricality.  Et voila’ !  I dolci siciliani! 

Mylloi (aka Angel’s Turds or Regina Margherita)

And not only is Sicilian confectionery pagan, but it can be profane, too!  One thinks of the Greek sesame and honey cakes called mylloi that were molded into the shape of female pudenda and used as fertility symbols during the festivals honoring Demeter and Persephone.  These endure today under different nomenclatures.  There is the scatological name strunzi d'ancilu, which means angel's turds in Sicilian dialect.  And there is the more gentile, feminine name Regina Margherita, as they are called in Palermitano dialect, which is reminiscent of the game of thrones which played out here in the 1600s.  And who would not blush at the sight of the little half-dome cakes frosted in milky white with a red cherry on top called minni di virgini, and commonly known as Saint Agata's Breasts?  These anatomically suggestive morsels are prevalent in Catania, after whose patron saint they are named.

St. Agata’s Breasts

Last week L, who lives in Palermo, took me to a new pasticceria called Sciampagna (pronounced like the French bubbly).  The owner is a master pastry chef and chocolate maker who has won many awards in Europe.  He made quite a splash with his exquisite creations when the shop opened in Palermo last November.  I have to say, it really is over the top!  I had an espresso with the little red cake with the white sugar daisy on top (pictured below) and it was to die(t) for.   The base was pan di Spagna, covered in a layer of passion fruit jam, which formed a pillow for the white chocolate ganache filling, all of which was covered in white chocolate and then dusted in a rich garnet-colored, cherry-flavored dust, topped off by a Hello Kitty daisy.  Super labor-intensive, bite-size extravaganza and worth every euro cent.  

Here are some of Sciampagna's delights to enjoy calorie-free, without any guilt whatsoever.

   

  

And remember:  Sicily is a bad place for a diet.

 

Calories are the Elephant in the Room!

Keep it real!

Marilyn