Bread history in Sicily, impanata and scaccie

I just happened to be re-reading Mary Simeti's wonderful book on Sicily and Sicilian cooking, Pomp and Sustenance, 25 Centuries of Sicilian Cooking, and I became intrigued with her chapter on bread.


Now, whoever said that man cannot live by bread alone is clearly an idiot.  I can.  Although if there's peanut butter around, that's a definite plus.


I was looking at the various fillings for impanata or bread pie.  Page 123 for those who are interested.  Filling #1 is raw Swiss chard, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, salt and olive oil.  I don't know about you, but it would never enter my mind to stuff bread with raw Swiss chard, but hey, I'm the peanut butter girl, remember?  Tomatoes, clearly a recipe after the 17th century as tomatoes are a New World addition to the Italian cuisine.
Filling #2 includes cauliflower or broccoli, raw fresh Sicilian sausage, ground pork, fennel seeds, and cheese - either tuma, primosale or mozzarella - and of course black pepper and olive oil.  This sounds yummy.
Filling #3 sounds pretty good too - chopped fresh raw spinach, black pepper and olive oil and caciocavallo or parmesan cheese.   Grrrrr.


Is there anything such as too much cheese?


Scaccie are stuffed bread rolls and obviously those fillings are varied.  Her filling #1 includes eggplant fried in olive oil (and nowhere in the world is there fried eggplant as delicious as in Sicily - many have tried and all have failed), tomatoes, basil, caciocavallo or parmesan cheese and surprise!  Black pepper and olive oil.  I don't know, I think I could eat about 20 of these ... 
Filling #2 is fresh ricotta, scallions, either of the above cheeses, eggs and black pepper.


All I know is, while I rarely try to cook from her book, I love reading about all these delicious foods.  it brings back all the months Bill and I wandered through Palermo and parts of Sicily and just ate what people gave us.  Ummm, what great memories.

Hot springs, essential oils, aromatherapy

I just got back from Orvis Hot Springs, soaking in natural hot springs for two days.  One of the other pleasures besides soaking was I had a terrific massage (ask for Priscilla if you go - she's fabulous!) who used a very pampering massage oil she called rose quartz.  One of its ingredients was something I had never heard of (and I have had a LOT of massages) - ylang ylang.  So I looked it up and therefore became curious as to what I thought might be available to Ysabella and Company in Sicily around the time of the Vespers.


So - ylang ylang originates from Madagascar and the flower looks like a yellow or pink tiger lily, although it's a tree.  It is supposed to help with high blood pressure, nervousness and the like.  But it's the smell that's heavenly.  And so unusual I had to ask about it.  So below are some of the oils that might have been available to Ysabella in Sicily.
As with all oils, it seems every one I investigated, according to The Bulk Apothecary, instructs pregnant women to avoid using them.  Sorry ladies!  Afterwards!  All properties and descriptions are from The Bulk Apothecary online.
Fennel.  There's actually a fennel essential oil.  I use fennel in salads and was introduced to doing that in Sicily.  It's supposed to be invigorating, stimulating and warming, aside from that anise smell that I really like.
Myrtle.  Another surprise.  While doing my dissertation, I found dozens of references to "myrtle skutching".  Apparently medieval Sicilians used myrtle in huge tubs (think grapes and winemaking) where slaves would mash it for its tannin in the famed leather tanning and industry of Sicily.  The oil may be used as an astringent, antiseptic, and decongestant and is used in aromatherapy as a remedy for sore throats and coughs.
Blood orange.  Bill and I both drank gallons of blood orange juice in Sicily.  It's red and wonderful and tasty and tangy.  Even better than regular orange juice.  I really missed it when I came back to the U.S.  And what a shock!  There's an essential oil for it too!  It's used as an antiseptic, anti-depressant and an aphrodisiac.  Hmmm.  That explains some things.  Anyway, the scent is described, like all citruses to me, light and uplifting.


And that's my medieval essential oils report for the day!