Farmers Markets, medieval markets, fresh produce of Sicily

When Bill and I lived in Palermo for eight months we experienced the delightful variety of farmers' markets, fish markets, and markets displaying the fresh produce of Sicily.  We bought cauliflower or broccoli (which is an interesting lime green shade) which we discovered many locals puree with a few spices for a sauce to toss their spaghetti or pasta with.  We are all brought up to think all Italians make is tomato sauces, especially in the south, but we found out that wasn't true.  Sicilians, at any rate, use a variety of such vegetables to "sauce" their pasta.  We also experienced the delight of freshly caught fish, especially swordfish, as well as sea urchins and sardines.  In the Middle Ages, when Ysabella and Company were cooking, fish and eels were often much sought after for those Fridays and church holidays when eating meat was forbidden.  Just like today, there were carefully tended fish ponds and eel ponds to make that meal preparation convenient.  While we didn't see eels in Palermo, I think we saw almost everything else.


As everyone knows, anything fresh is best!  Stay tuned for some pictures of Palermo's open air markets of fresh fish and produce.