cuccìa dolce di santa lucia – wheat berry and ricotta pudding for st. lucy’s day

  It was recently St. Lucy’s Day (13 December), so no pasta, bread or flour. If you’re wondering why, have a look at last year’s St. Lucy’s Day-themed post. St. Lucy is one of Italy’s more popular saints (yes, they do seem to have a sort of internal pecking order), and is celebrated all over the country in various ways, with processions, traditional fairs, fireworks and the lighting of votive candles. The kids in Northern Continue Reading →

dolce Natale – sweet Christmas

Sicilians seem to have a traditional dish for every occasion. There are zeppole di San Giuseppe for St. Joseph’s Day, there’s cuccia for St. Lucy’s Day, and pasta ‘ncaciata for the Assumption of the Virgin on 15 August. Not to mention the Easter specialities, which change from town to town. But I’m only scratching the surface here; I could probably dedicate this blog solely to Sicilian feast-day food, and still have plenty to write about Continue Reading →