Pistachios, nuts, Egyptian pharoahs, Queen of Sheba, and other celebrities

So on to another delectable product of Sicily - the pistachio.  Sicily, Puglia, Campania and Ligura all produce pistachios and Sweet Sicily author Alessandre Dammone indicates it was the Arabs in the 10th century who recommended cultivation of that delicious nut on Sicily.  And there, on the slopes of Etna, in the province of Catania, is where most of Sicily's pistachios are grown.


One thing I didn't know (there's so much I don't know!) is that it's impossible to use modern farming techniques to harvest the pistachio so it is all done by hand.  If you ever wonder why pistachios are so expensive - that's why.  Although when Bill and I lived in Palermo, they were sold in bags on the street by vendors as snack foods and they were relatively cheap.


And as one might suspect, they are used in fabulous ways in gelato and dolce.  Yummmmy!!!!!

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.