Italian food has to be one of the most popular cuisines in the world – who doesn’t love pizza, pasta and risotto? Before my trip to Sicily I assumed the island would have similar food to the rest of Italy. But Sicilian cuisine is a lot more complex than that. Years of occupation have left it with a mix of influences, so you’ll find ingredients and dishes you’d expect to see in Greece, Spain or even North Africa. To learn more about the island’s food I took a Sicilian cooking class in Catania, starting where all good food begins – the market.
Read more: Churches and cannoli: What to see and do in Catania, Sicily

Catania’s fish market
Catania’s fish market (La Pescheria)
The freshness of ingredients is the key to Sicily’s delicious food, and its markets are overflowing with local, seasonal produce. Our guide Maurizio took us around Catania’s markets, introducing us to new ingredients and giving us an insight into the island’s history through its food. We started off at the fish market – La Pescheria. It’s one of Italy’s biggest fish markets with an atmosphere that’s hardly changed in hundreds of years. Set up was in full swing when we arrived early in the morning. Young guys hauled bags of ice and wheeled trays of fish through alleyways into the square, where they were piled up onto makeshift tables.

A fish market stallholder wields an impressive cleaver
I’d never seen so many different types of seafood before. Some I recognised, like the plump pink prawns, buckets of tiny clams and the long, silver metallic-looking eels. Then there were some weird and wonderful creatures I’d never seen before. There was the octopus that opened up like an umbrella when you picked it up, the pannocchia or mantis shrimp with markings on its tail that mimic big eyes, and the rare slipper lobster, a kind-of cross between a crayfish and lobster which is only found in the Mediterranean.

A strange umbrella-like octopus
Fishmongers wielded dangerous looking cleavers, slicing thin steaks from giant tuna on chopping boards marked with blood and knife marks from years of use. They line the fish heads up to show how fresh the produce is, though the ground was covered with bits of fish and pools of water so it’s not a place to come in your flip flops. Once it’s set up, things get even more rowdy when the shoppers start to descend. The stallholders compete for sales, calling out their deals of the day and straining to out-holler each other.

A slipper lobster and a giant metallic looking eel
But the market isn’t all about fish – other stalls spread into the side streets around the Piazza. There are cheeses and mushrooms brought down from the mountain villages, as well as fruit and vegetables from the fertile soils around Mount Etna. In late spring the stalls were full of plaited stems of wild garlic, bunches of asparagus and juicy strawberries. We also tried a few more unusual things like orange medlar fruits, spiky wild artichokes roasted on an open grill, and white mulberries that looked disconcertingly like grubs.

Fresh asparagus
We also stopped at a spice stall, where in among the spices, dried fruits and candied peel we spotted these strange things that looked almost like carved stones. Stall-holder Theresa explained that they were actually edible – known as Mostarda, they are a kind of solid jam made from grape must. Each year after the grape harvest, pressed grape juice is mixed with orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves then cooked and reduced down to a paste. The paste is then put into decorative moulds and dried in the sun.

Mostarda in Catania spice stall
Sicilians love their sweets, and many of the island’s classic desserts were created by convent bakers. They combined ingredients from North Africa like sugar cane, pistachios, spices and candied fruit with cookery techniques from French pastry chefs. And the result was delicious sweets like cannoli, tubes of fried dough filled with creamy ricotta, or cassata, a sponge cake layered with candied peel and ricotta and covered with layers of marzipan and icing. Others are made using almond or pistachio flours so they’re gluten-free.

Delicious pastries at Prestipino Cafe
We dropped into Prestipino Cafe to try out two sweets dedicated to Catania’s patron saint, St Agatha. First were the Minni di Sant’ Agata – aka St Agatha’s breasts – where the gory story of her being tortured and having her breasts cut off has been turned into a tasty cake! They are a dome-shaped cassata topped with a red cherry nipple. Next were the Olivetti di Sant’ Agata, or St Agatha’s little olives, green olive-shaped marzipan balls which commemorate an olive tree she sheltered under. Then – already starting to feel stuffed – it was time to learn how to put this fresh produce to use in some classic Sicilian dishes.

Minni di Sant’ Agata
Sicilian cooking class
We headed up into the foothills of Mount Etna to meet Monica Consoli – the daughter of cookbook author Eleanora Consoli – for our class in Eleanora’s lovely 18th-century villa. Over drinks under the lemon trees, Monica explained how invaders over the years brought new ingredients and cooking techniques to Sicily, but the Sicilian national identity always stayed strong. You won’t find any national dishes, but instead there are lots of local specialities, from every part of the island. The cuisine today mixes old peasant dishes – cucina povera – with more elaborate dishes brought over by French chefs who worked for Sicilian noblemen. A big focus throughout though is on using fresh and seasonal produce – or ‘eating with the sun’.

Snacks and a blood orange juice and prosecco drink, yum!
Traditionally lunch is the largest meal of the day in Sicily, with a first course, main course, side dishes and dessert. Which is what was on the menu for us – though Monica kindly adapted some of the dishes for me to make then gluten-free. She started off by making Sicilian meatballs or Polpette alla Siciliana. Ours were made using veal mince, though you can also use chicken or beef. Monica mixed the mince with breadcrumbs, explaining how they were historically used to bulk out dishes when money was tight. They’re still used a lot, but it’s often more for taste than economic reasons today as they help soak up the flavours.

Making meatballs
Next she added a beaten egg, lemon zest, chopped parsley and grated caciocavallo cheese. We’d spotted the caciocavallo earlier in the market – it has a strange shape, a bit like an old Greek urn, with two cheeses tied together. But if you can’t get it back home then you can also use Parmesan. To finish off, the mixture was rolled into balls and wrapped up in lemon leaves picked from the garden. Ours were cooked in a pan on the hob but you can grill or bake them too, or cook them in marsala or wine. Or even use them in the tasty-sounding spitini, where they’re cooked on skewers along with croutons and cubes of cheese.

Grating the Caciocavallo cheese
Our next dish was Pasta all Norma – named after an opera by local boy Vincenzo Bellini. It’s usually made with pasta, but Monica came up with a special rice version for me. The heart of this dish is the tomato sauce. Apparently every woman in Italy, and especially in Sicily, thinks their tomato sauce recipe is the best. Monica’s used ripe tomatoes blanched in hot water then peeled, finely chopped and cooked until soft with olive oil, garlic and a handful of fresh basil. Tomatoes are a huge part of the cuisine here, but when the Spanish invaders first brought them to Sicily the locals just used them to decorate the plate.

Riso all Norma
The rice was cooked pilaf style to keep the grains firm. The key is to use a deep frying pan and fry the rice in oil before covering it with water and simmering until it’s absorbed – but make sure not to stir it. When the water’s absorbed you end up with a firm but creamy rice. It’s then mixed with the tomato sauce and topped with slices of deep-fried aubergine. Aubergine can sometimes get a bit oily, so Monica gave us a tip to keep it crisp – slice the aubergine lengthways not across as that means you’re going with the fibres and not across, so it won’t soak up as much oil. Then to finish it’s sprinkled with grated cheese and basil leaves.

Chopping peppers for the Peperonata
Next were the side dishes, starting with Peperonata Agrodolce – sweet and sour peppers. Monica told us how sweet and sour dishes, made using a combination of sugar and vinegar, were originally introduced by Arab invaders. The Sicilians used them to help preserve food in the days before refrigeration. So it meant you had a source of fresh vegetables in the winter or on long sea voyages. And these dishes still taste better if you make them the day before. Chopped peppers are sauteed with onion, then you add sugar, vinegar and fresh herbs and cook it down using a low heat. You can also add things like raisins, capers or pine nuts.

Peperonata Agrodolce
For me, vinegar’s something you buy from a shop, but Monica brought out a bottle of her own homemade version and gave us a lesson in how it was made. You start with a broad bean in a glass jar, fill it with wine and leave it for a month until a layer of gelatine forms on the bottom of the jar. This is the ‘mother’, and women pass it on through generations or to friends, like the starter used for making bread – Monica’s came from her mother who got it from her mother. She described it beautifully as ‘like making eternity’. Just remember to top the jar up with wine and a broad bean every now and then, as ‘mother’s got to eat’!

Eleanora’s larder
The final course was a Gelo di Canella – cinnamon jelly. Monica described it as the perfect dessert for a hot day. It’s also fairly healthy as the only ingredients are water, cinnamon, sugar and starch (you can use wheat, corn or rice flour) to make it set. Our version used cinnamon, which had been infusing in the water overnight. But you can use all sorts of other flavours, like fruit juices, herbs, almond milk, chocolate or coffee. And if you’re feeling artistic you can layer up different stripes of coloured jellies in a glass dish.

Gelo di Canella
After all Monica’s hard work, it was time to head to try it all out. It was the perfect summery meal – bursting with fresh flavours but also very light. The fertile volcanic soils and Mediterranean sun makes the produce taste so much more intense. This is an island where the most revered cooks aren’t Michelin-starred chefs in fancy restaurants but home cooks making recipes passed down through generations. Learning to cook like a Sicilian gives more than just a taste of the island’s food, but a window to lives of its people too.

With Monica Consoli
The details
My cookery day was a Celebrity Cruises Sicilian Gastronomic Tour shore excursion. You can also book a similar independent four-hour day tour with a market tour and cooking lesson above the market.
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26 Comments
Jean-Pierre Fabre Bruot
May 26, 2014 at 1:05 pmNice trip, so sad you only had 2 days! Catania cuisine is one of the best in Sicily, next time you’ll have to taste local specialties such as the Masculini (local fresh anchovies) and the Mucco (new born baby fish).
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:22 amYes it was definitely not enough time in Sicily, or even in Catania, I will be back though and will have to try a lot more of the seafood next time!
Debra Beilke
May 26, 2014 at 1:46 pmGorgeous!
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:23 amThanks so much!
Darlene
May 26, 2014 at 2:42 pmWhat a great experience! Enjoy the cruise.
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:24 amThanks Darlene, it’s going to be a really new and different experience for me but I’m really looking forward to trying it out!
Allen Capoferri
May 26, 2014 at 4:03 pmThank you for sharing your trip. Everything looks inviting. Including the tomatoes!
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:24 amThanks – the fresh produce in that market was so colourful and enticing, I have a whole market post coming up soon as I couldn’t stop snapping away!
holidayaddict
May 26, 2014 at 4:38 pmOh how lovely! And I can’t wait to follow your cruise adventure. I’m off to Croatia too very soon. Local travel is fab, but I can’t wait to venture further afield for the first time in what feels like ages!
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:25 amHave a fantastic time in Croatia – hope the sun shines for you! We have one day in Dubrovnik so only a tiny taster but I would love to go and travel around Slovenia and Croatia sometime.
Heyjude
May 26, 2014 at 7:52 pmWhat a great trip! I love italian food. Had some of the best food ever in a greengrocer’s shop in Syracuse – a long time ago and a long story too! I look forward to your Norway posts…
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:49 amItalian food is one of my favourites too – and I was so impressed that they managed to make so many great dishes without gluten too as you tend to think of it as being an integral part of the diet! Lots of Norway posts and pics to come in the next month too.
aBitofCulture
May 27, 2014 at 9:42 amI absolutely love Sicily but had read some bad things about Catania so overlooked it on my visits. Surprised it looks so nice. Shame you couldn’t see Etna – a trip combining Etna, Catania and Syracuse sounds right up my street.
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:56 amCatania does seem to have a bit of a bad reputation but we were really pleasantly surprised – there’s more than enough to do for a day or two and tons of great food. Would love to get out and see Etna though (there’s a fab train that runs around the base that I really fancy) and beyond.
Lucy Dodsworth
May 27, 2014 at 11:50 amThanks, yes it’s going to be really interesting to try it out – I like the idea of being able to get a taster of lots of different destinations too.
Suzanne Jones
May 28, 2014 at 2:11 pmMemories brought back of a fabulous trip Lucy. Thanks for being such a great travelling companion 🙂
Lucy Dodsworth
May 29, 2014 at 10:50 amYou too Suzanne, look forward to reading your write ups too!
Lucy Dodsworth
May 29, 2014 at 10:51 amThe produce was just amazing, just wish I could’ve brought some home with me!
restlessjo
May 29, 2014 at 9:53 pmThe jet set lifestyle beckons, Lucy 🙂 Sounds like a heck of a year so far. I love that shot with Etna on the horizon.
Lucy Dodsworth
June 4, 2014 at 10:08 pmThanks Jo, yes it’s been a busy one so far and a couple of hectic months to come too – then maybe a rest in the garden for most of August!
thetrustedtraveller
June 3, 2014 at 10:58 pmSounds like you had a great trip and really enjoyed Catania. I’ve always been intrigued by Sicily so I’ll be looking forward to reading more about it, especially th cooking class and architecture.
Lucy Dodsworth
June 4, 2014 at 10:09 pmThanks, yes it was so much nicer a city than I was expecting – the cookery was fab too, even writing it up has made me so hungry!
Madhu
June 7, 2014 at 3:33 pmLucky you! I have never been on a cruise myself, but am always tempted to try it at least once. Look forward to your reports Lucy. Have a great time.
Lucy Dodsworth
June 22, 2014 at 1:16 pmThanks Madhu, there will be lots of posts to come in the next month!
mrted57
June 15, 2014 at 2:55 pmThanks, I’m adding Catania to my must see list.
Lucy Dodsworth
June 22, 2014 at 1:17 pmThat’s great, it’s often overlooked in favour of the more famous destinations in Sicily but I really liked it.