Greek temples, Hannibal, Segesta, Agrigento

I keep being dragged back to the impact the Greeks, and other ancient civilizations, had on Sicily, when I look at pictures of ancient Greek temples.  Anyone remotely interested in that subject knows that the best extant examples are in Sicily - Segesta, Agrigento, around Siracusa.


On my trip this April with my friend Alison, we were lucky to be driving through Segesta and Agrigento and seeing these massive (and they are massive) buildings from the autostrada is incredible.


And since I just got back from soaking in a neighboring hot spring, I was also interested to learn that Segesta was famous as a medicinal soaking place.  Its hot springs were sulphurous, its founders were reputed by Thucydides to be Trojans and Phocians, who pre-date the Greeks on the island.  This is an old, old place.


Segesta kept changing alliances between the Carthaginians and the Athenians, not to her benefit.  Eventually she became subject to Carthage, then came under a brutal attack by the Athenian Agathocles, who came to Sicily to war against the Carthaginians.  Segesta welcomed him, but for some reason he turned against them and hurled men from catapults, or bound them in brass beds with recesses for their arms and legs, then roasted them alive.  What happened to diplomacy?


And I always wondered what happened to Hannibal of Carthage.  I always imagined he was trampled by one of his elephants, but of course that wasn't the case.  He actually died in Sicily, besieging Agrigento somewhere around 414 B.C.  For eight months the siege dragged on but when Agrigento's mercenaries deserted and the Carthaginians poured into the city, the prominent men of Agrigento sealed themselves into the Temple of Athena and set fire to it, preferring death by burning to capture by Carthaginians.


A reflection on war, torture and its ongoing, seemingly never-ending, appearances.

The Baroness and the real Caltagirone

In Book #2 of the Vespers Trilogy, Malice Stalks the Leopard, one of the major characters is The Baroness, an old love of Ferdinand de Lerida.  She is presented in the book as the widow of the Count of Caltagirone.  Naturally, she's a fictitious person who was fun to write, but the real family who ruled this region was powerful and always part of the king's counsel.  The city is also one of the oldest in Sicily, dating back to before 1000 B.C.


Today, Caltagirone is known for its ceramics, the beauty of which date back to Arab times in Sicily - 9th and 10th century - because the Arabs brought the greens, blues and yellows to the industry.  They also brought a sophistication to the ceramics with geometric designs and graceful  depictions of animals and plants.  This is typical of Sicilian ceramics today and what this area is famous for.


And of course, the name itself is said to be of Moorish derivation - the name Caltagirone means Castle or Fortress of Vases.

sardines, anchovies, mullet and other fish stories in Sicily

Since Alison and I returned from Sicily, I can't stop thinking about the fabulous "polpe" or octopus we had in Siracusa.  And that brought back memories of a wonderful meal our friend Pietro cooked for us which included stuffed sardines alla Palermo which we shopped for in Palermo's incredible, medieval fish market, the Vucciria. 


Other friends made us mullet, swordfish and tunny and I never ate so well as I did that 8 months in Palermo.  Fresh, wonderful fish, straight from the Mediterranean.


And in Trapani, the medieval salt pans with their lazily turning windmills - beautiful scenery around Castellemare and Cefalu's beauty.  I don't know why anyone goes to mainland Italy! 


And let's remember Paolo's restaurant in Siracusa, thank you Bruno and Lucia for taking us there, it was incredible.  So was Basirico's - fabulous octopus and sea bass.

Yes, the Mediterranean really is that color!

Trapani Salt works

Trapani windmill in disrepair. Mounds of salt in front

Norman architecture

Medieval baths in Cefalu

I was totally envious that my writing partner got to go back to Sicily, and when she brought home the picture, my oh my, I'm sure I turned green.  She and her friends must have had a wonderful time. I got a postcard, not a T-shirt.  But with the postcard and the pictures from Trapani, I just might design a windmill quilt for her. Here are some of the wonderful places she visited.

Almonds, dolce, Sicily, il mandorlo, Troy and legend of Phyllis and Acamas

Anyone who's been to the Mediterranean, and especially Sicily, knows the importance of almonds.  They were important in the Middle Ages, when almond paste was a main ingredient in dolce especially those called pasta reale and when almond milk was practically a staple in the kitchen.  Then, as now, almond milk didn't need to be refrigerated and in a hot climate, that was important.


My wonderful Sicilian friends, Bruno and Lucia, sent me a book for Christmas called Sweet Sicily by Alessandre Damone.  As you might imagine, it's all about desserts.  Yummmmmmy.  And not just recipes - given in Italian AND English - but also the history of it.  As an historian, what could be better?


So here's the history of the almond - the Thracian princess Phyllis fell in love with Acamas, a son of Theseus.  Men being men, Acamas just had to go to Troy and fight.  When Phyllis didn't see her love return, she died of a broken heart.  But he did return, finding his love dead.  Athena, that goddess who loves these kinds of situations, took pity on Phyllis.  You'd think she'd bring her back to life, but she didn't, instead she turned her into an almond tree and every year when Acamas embraced her, she blossomed, giving us the delicious nut we all know and love.


Personally, I think she could have done more, but who's complaining?  And so I would advise you, if you're going to Sicily and indulging in dolce, or perusing this book, check out the biscotti di mandorla which I can tell you from experience - tastes like heaven.

Grand Hotel Budapest and other great movies

I just got done watching Grand Hotel Budapest - what a treat!  My friend Marcia recommended it and the cast is just stellar.  It made me think of movies in favorite locations - I watched it mainly because I'm going to Budapest in 2015 but anything Marcia recommends I'm game for.  So what are my favorite movies regarding Italy and/or Sicily?  I'd have to say Cinema Paradiso and Il Postino are my top two favorites, with Mediterraneo running a close third.  Love all of them.  So who out there has movies shot in your favorite locations?


I know my friends, Barb and Mike, in Palm Desert, loved Midnight in Paris because they are such Francophiles.  Not to mention well-read.


Anyone else?

Brian Catlos, Sicily, the Mediterranean and other medieval thoughts

So OK, I've been so preoccupied lately with planning my trip to Sicily (and Budapest and Iceland) next year that I've been neglecting my blog. So my friend Josh Birk recommended an author to me, just to keep me in the loop of present-day Mediterranean scholarship. That author would be Brian A. Catlos and I've already begun his book, Infidel Kings and Unholy Warriors, Faith, Power and Violence in the Age of Crusade and Jihad. For all you eggheads out there who are academically drawn to the Mediterranean, get this book. He has a new take on old scholarship and it's clear and well-reasoned. Look up his other stuff too. And if you're out in southern California around November 7 and 8, go see him in person at the UC-Irvine Mediterranean conference. So I'm trying to decide whether to stay around Mazara or Erice because I want to see the Greek temples at Agrigento. Isn't it fascinating that the best Greek ruins are in Sicily and southern Italy (Paestum - heaven on earth -yes, go see Paestum south of Salerno). And in Trapani I plan to visit the medieval salt museum as well as the salt pans since I write about them in our vespers trilogy. Last but not least, before visiting Budapest and soaking my bod in the hot springs of Iceland (Blue Lagoon, here I come!)we'll be traveling around Cefalu and Corleone (remember the Godfather? Although that's not why I'm going -there's actually a medieval connection there). Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions - feel free to comment!

Sicily, Sortino, honey, Corleone

So okay, I'm obsessed with my trip next year to Sicily.  I want to go to Sortino, where there are famous beekeepers and try all the different kinds of honey - Check out www.honeytravelers.com and boy will you find some great places for honey.  I'm blown away that beekeepers move their bees thousands of miles in big flatbed trucks to take advantage of the different herbs and flowers blossoming at various times in Italy and Sicily.  The bees don't seem to get motion sickness either.  I'm looking forward to traveling in Sicily (no, not on a flatbed truck either - nor with bees) and this time I plan on seeing the medieval salt museum and the salt pans of Trapani, an olive oil farm, and maybe even some of the islands like Lampedusa or Egadi Islands.  Check out the site - www.bestofsicily.com for all kinds of fabulous info about my favorite island.  Buon viaggio!

Vegetables in the Middle Ages - and corned beef and pastrami

So I open up my email and there's this terrific article from Medievalists.net so feel free tocheck out cooking in the Middle AGes. Not that I'm obsessed with food or anything since I've come back from Chicago, having stuffed my face with steak, pastrami, corned beef, gyros - Greektown for the latter, Manny's and 11th Street Dinner for corned beef and pastrami and I HIGHLY recommend Benny's Chop House for steak with impeccable service and probably the best Caesar salad I've ever had in my life - that's why vegetables are somewhat on my mind (along with other Good Eats). Vegetables in the Middle Ages Image Vegetables: A Biography, by Evelyne Bloch-Dano, offer the stories of eleven different vegetables - artichokes, beans, chard, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, chili peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, peas, pumpkins, and tomatoes - offering tidbits from science and agriculture to history, culture, and, of course, cooking. Here are a few excerpts from the book that detail their history during the Middle Ages. Read More

Chicago, Caffe Baci, Italian food and Sicily, gelato, biscotti, cous cous

So while this may not have much to do with our 13th century, I couldn't help but think about Ysabella and tavern food as my girlfriend Alison and I were sitting at Caffe Baci, drinking mineral water from Sardinia and eating cous cous, gelato and biscotti. I think we hit some major food groups there. Spuntini is still a word in modern Italian which means snacks; in Ysabella's tavern it would usually be fried foods, bits of fried veggies and meat. And yes, they grew lots of salad stuff (but who writes about that?). Anyway, I'M GOING TO SICILY NEXT YEAR!!!! Yahoo! And in that trip, I am taking a page (literally ripped it out, yes) out of La Cucina before it folded which told about a famous gelato place in Sicily and baby, I'm going! I'm also going to a world reknown honey emporium which I'll report on when I'm there. These are in the Syracusa area, where my wonderful friends, Bruno and Lucia, will no doubt help to taste test these delicious treats.

Drinking Water in the Middle Ages - Another Myth Exploded

From buttons to water - here's another interesting link exploding a common belief people have about the Middle Ages - that they didn't drink water! What about all those references to "watered wine" because few people drank straight wine. But also, cool water in the summertime? Especially in Sicily, where it's not only hot, but two hundred years of Arab occupation produced scores of irrigation and fountains. And let's not forget the need for water because of all the public baths. Yes, people, bathing in the areas that have known Roman occupation was frequent and every town of a fair size had a public bath. Palermo had many. Anyway, check out this terrific article on water at http://www.medievalists.net/2014/07/09/people-drink-water-middle-ages/

Citron, fava beans, granita, food from Sicily and blancmange?

http://www.bestofsicily.com


So I'm writing a chapter and doing research about what Bia and Ysabella would be doing in the kitchen and what kind of "stuff" would they be preserving and preparing from Leo's estate?  Check out this link above because it gives a lot of fascinating information on fava beans, citron (do you know what citron is?), blood oranges, pistachios and almonds - lots of the food known not only to Greeks and Romans, but some, like sugar cane, lemons, oranges and advanced irrigation methods, were brought to Sicily by the Arabs.  So when you're in Sicily and cooling off with a fabulous lemon granite, say a silent prayer of thanks to the Arab culture.


And one more thing perusing medieval recipes - did you know that almond milk was a staple in most medieval kitchens?  Yes, that blanc mange which I have to confess, I had to look up because I had visions of jiggly icky gelatinous pudding, and found to my relief that it wasn't.  In the medieval world, at least in Sicily, it's often more of a spiced, almond and ginger flavored rice kind of dish (as best I can make out) and all four recipes I found had a common ingredient of rosewater.  I'll have to add some rose water to my pudding some time ...

More Travel Links to Sicily - see David Lebovitz!

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2014/06/sicily-again-italy-travel/


Check it out folks - going to Sicily soon?

Malice Stalks the Leopard

And of course, the Vespers Trilogy continues in Book #2 - Malice Stalks the Leopard, when our tavern owners again become embroiled in a political secret affecting Palermo, Sicily, and a Mediterranean dynasty.