Food & Wine
SICILY THE NEW TOSCANY
Good food and drink play an enormous role for the Sicilians as well as for a large part of our customers. It seems that eating, drinking and enjoying are even the main reason for the enormous tourist boom in Sicily and that Sicily is slowly overtaking Tuscany. Of course, this is also due to the good climate and the resulting perfect products; but Sicilian cuisine also knows how to conjure up creative dishes from these excellent quality products. The cultural diversity of the many conquerors is strongly reflected in the recipes, which is particularly evident in the Arabic influences. First the wine and later also the olive oil have made an incredible leap in quality. This overall development not only results in an ever-increasing number of top ristoranti, pasticcerie, new wine cellars and experts, but a culinary tourism on a very high level is just emerging, from which everyone benefits.
OLIVE OIL
THE GOLD OF SICILY
Like many other things, the Greeks brought the olive tree to Sicily around 500 BC. Only then did it reach the Italian mainland and later Spain and Portugal. The olive tree is considered the king of trees, radiating vitality and dignity, not only because of its immense benefits, but also because of its symbolism. In summer it provided shade, in winter the branches served as firewood. The fruits were eaten and the oil used for cooking and lighting. Olive trees are considered a symbol of peace, love and loyalty. They embody longevity; the world’s oldest tree in Greece is said to be about 5,000 years old. A dove brought Noah an olive branch as a sign of life returning to the world, and Jesus held a dialogue with God among olive trees shortly before his crucifixion. In Sicily, people are still aware of this great significance. Italy is the second largest olive oil producer in the world, 10% of the oil is produced in Sicily. Just like wine, olive oil has made an incredible leap in quality. This is especially true for the oils of the provinces of Siracusa and Ragusa, where most of our holiday homes are located.
The listed PDO oils of Sicily guarantee, among other things, the origin, variety and processing of the olives. Nevertheless, many of the best oils are not PDO because the producers do not use them due to the high costs or lack of confidence.
