Tribute to Mamma Pina: I have the honour of introducing Real Sicilian Cuisine with these delicious and simple recipes, with easy-to-find ingredients. When Mamma’s Recipes was added to this website, all of the recipes came from the kitchen of Mamma Pina, my dear mother. Since then during my tours, many chefs have shared recipes with me to promote Sicilian cuisine. So first, a tremendous Grazie Mille to my Mamma Pina, for sharing her “secrets” with us! Next another thanks to my friends, the talented chefs in Sicily.
Surely you know that we Sicilian men never cook because our mothers always cook delicious food for us and also for our sisters, those modern young women. Yes, we are spoiled! You too can spoil your loved ones by preparing these dishes or feel spoiled if served one. Buon Appetito!“
Background: Three thousand years, three thousand delights – Sicily is an island of great allure, fertile and sun-drenched in the heart of the Mediterranean. The island possesses all the colours in God’s creation: from the green of the coast, to the yellow of the countryside, to the blue of the sea, to the black of the lava and obsidian near the volcanoes. Its history speaks the languages of the Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, and Italians who came here, willingly and not. They were brought by wars, shipwrecks, commerce, or a desire for knowledge. All gave their colours and flavours to the cuisine. Remember Homer and his classic The Odyssey, which recounts the story of Ulysses sailing around Sicily on his long voyage home. In those far-off days, Ulysses found two of the earliest souvenirs from Sicily: bread, the first symbol of civilization; and pecorino cheese, found in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Even today, visitors still find these “souvenirs” to be essential in Sicilian cuisine. Like its inhabitants, Sicilian cuisine can be rich or poor, evoking the struggle of a diverse people to live in a harsh, but memorable land with its brilliant landscape, intoxicating scents, and ever-elusive shape. Serve Sicilian dishes at your table, and find yourself turning over page after page of history.