Sicilian cuisine

Much of the island was initially settled by Greek colonists, who left a preference for fish, wheat, olives, grapes, broad beans, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, pistachios, and fresh vegetables.

[6] The Jewish community, who lived in the island, also left their mark on the Sicilian cuisine, they were responsible for introducing garlic fried in olive oil into the sauce.

[10] Sicily is the oldest Italian and Western location on record where pasta worked into long and thin form was part of the local cuisine.

Examples include: frutta martorana, pignolata of Messina, buccellato, cannoli, granita, cassata siciliana and the crocetta di Caltanissetta, a sweet that disappeared and was rediscovered in 2014.

The only surviving convent to follow this tradition is the Monastery of the Virgins of Palermo, which makes breast-shaped cakes in honor of Saint Agatha of Sicily.

[14] Traditional sugar statues, called pupa di cena, are still made, although now featuring modern celebrities or culture figures.

It is a semi-frozen dessert of sugar, water, and flavourings originally from the island, and is commonly associated with Messina or Catania, even though there is no evident proof that it hails from any particular Sicilian city.

The soil and climate in Sicily are ideal for growing grapes, mainly due to Mount Etna, and a wine-making tradition on the island has existed since at least 4000 BC.

Sicilians eat large quantities of street food, including the renowned arancini (a form of deep-fried rice croquettes).