La Cucina Trapanese

The city of Trapani, on Sicily's westernmost tip, is, well, flat, and old photos of it have a desolate air to them -- one can almost feel the summer heat rising off the paper, and knowing that the salt pans fed by the waters of the lagoon were once among Europe's most important doesn't seem particularly attractive either: Though they do have a haunting beauty to them, they are also searingly hot and tremendously inhospitable. However, inland of the lagoon the land rises, and people have lived in what is now Erice since the dawn of time; the Carthaginians, taking their cue from the Elimi who already lived there, consecrated the town to Astarte, their Goddess of love, and when the Romans drove the Carthaginians out they continued the tradition, rededicating the town to Venus. Thousands of pilgrims visited every year, celebrating in all manner of ways, many of which would shock a modern libertine, while the locals turned to fishing both to feed the visitors and to supply Rome with garum, the fermented fish paste that was central to a great many Roman dishes.

The collapse of the Roman empire was followed by centuries of Byzantine neglect, which came to an end in 827 with the arrival of the Arabs; they looked about, realized the region's potential, and got to work, planting dates, melons, and citrus trees, and developing many dishes, including Sicily's fish-laced version of cuscus, arancini di riso, and all sorts of pastries (not cassata, however, which is Roman in origin).

The Normans who arrived in the 11th Century brought with them a number of northern European traditions, including the use of white sauces, and other invaders since then, in particular the Spanish, added their contributions as well, while the English reworked one of the local white wines, transforming it into a world-renowned masterpiece: Marsala. From an economic standpoint Trapani was an extremely important producer of both salt and fish, in particular tuna, until well into the 19th century, when saltpans and fisheries elsewhere undercut their prices. The fishing industry is now mostly gone, due to commercial overfishing on the high seas, but the saltpans do remain, producing a salt prized by gourmands, and of course there is Marsala.

A Few Recipes

Dried Fried Tomatoes: Pomodori Secchi Fritti
Dried tomatoes are quite common in southern Italy, and are enjoyed both as antipasti or snacking foods and as ingredients. Trapanesi give them a delightful twist.

Arancini di Riso with Ricotta, or Arancini di Riso con Ricotta
Arancini, stuffed fried rice balls, are one of the world's finest street foods.

Sciovate Cunzate
Tomato-stuffed focaccia, a specialty of the town of Marsala.

Salamureci
A refreshing chilled tomato soup (for want of a better term): Peasant food at its finest.

Frascatole in Fish Sauce, or Frascatole al Sugo di Pesce
A Siclian variation on cuscus, served with a rich fish sauce.

Cuscus with Pork and Cauliflower, or Cuscus con Carne di Maiale e Cavolfiore
Sicilian cuscus recipes generally call for fish. But not always.

Saint Joseph's Pasta, or Pasta di San Giuseppe
A simple, frugal pasta dish to celebrate a most resourceful Saint.

Marinated Tuna, or Tonno con la Marinata
Tuna steaks, sauteed, marinated in an onion sauce, and served cool: fine summer food from Trapani.

Braciolone
The word braciola means different things in different parts of Italy. here it's a rich, flavorful meat roll stuffed with all sorts of things, from Trapani in Sicily.

Cauliflower Fritters, or Polpette di Cavolfiore
Tasty fritters that will be nice as a side dish or in a platter of mixed fried foods.

Cassata alla Siciliana
Sicily's signature cake, an extraordinarily rich delight that also manages to be light and easy to digest.

Buon Appetito!
Kyle Phillips