cheese I ate in Sicily and the Aeolian islands
One of the joys of travelling in Sicily was discovering just how central cheese is to daily life (it is in most Sicilian dishes). We began our journey in Catania’s bustling market, where stalls were piled high with wheels and wedges of cheese (and lots and lots of pistachio blue cheese). That market was my first glimpse into how Sicilians shop, and it really made me miss being able to buy at my local market in Brussels. Below are a few foodie highlights of our travels in Sicily as well as the Aeolian islands. And always featuring cheese of course.
Pistachio blue cheese - more than 85% of Sicily's pistachio trees grow on the slopes of Mount Etna, because of its mineral-rich volcanic soil
Ricotta Salata
One of Sicily’s most famous cheeses is Ricotta Salata - firm, salty, pressed, and aged. This cheese is featured as shavings on top of Pasta alla Norma, (pasta, tomato, basil, and fried aubergine). We had 2 of these dishes during the trip, this one was the highlight and the chef used a Sicilian pasta (Casarecce).
Not the best photo but the close up shows off the good quality ingredients, and a beautifully crafted bowl :)
Tuma Canziata
One of my favourite things to do when I go abroad is to go food shopping and look at all the local produce. In Lipari I discovered this sheep cheese in a supermarket. I love a cheese counter in a supermarket as it is such a novelty since they sadly don’t exist in the UK (except Waitrose but it does not compare to the selection abroad!)
Tuma has been made in Sicily for centuries, mentioned as far back as medieval documents. Originally, it was eaten fresh by shepherds, but as they moved their flocks with the seasons (a practice I learnt recently that is called ‘transhumance’) they sometimes had to abandon wheels of cheese in caves or huts. When they returned, they found the cheese had firmed up, grown spicier, and taken on a wild, aromatic depth.
In other words, Tuma Canziata was a happy accident, born from practicality and chance. There are other cheeses like Burrata, Roquefort, and Taleggio that have similar ‘accidental’ stories.
This batch was tangy, nutty, and with this almost caramelised flavour which reminded me of the French sheep cheese Napoléon.
Tuma Canziata featured on a cute plate that I bought from a market stall in Catania
Other italian cheeses in a dish
Other dishes featuring cheese that are worth mentioning include a moment after a sweaty, uphill hike, when we stumbled into a tiny sandwich shop, Enopaninoteca Gilberto e Vera.
My sandwich had gorgonzola, artichoke, and green olives and it was everything that I needed at that moment - salty and savoury!
Perfect post-hike sandwich
Back at our apartment, I made a simple burrata salad with basil, tomato, olive oil, and black pepper. Burrata comes from Puglia, and like many great cheeses, it was discovered by accident. Cheesemakers transporting mozzarella to market needed a way to store the curds, so they kept them in cream to preserve them. They soon realised how delicious the combination was (creamy, fresh, and delicious!)
Salad and sunset :)
Food and memory
Whenever I read my old diary entries, I notice I’ve written in incredible detail about every meal I ate that day, and each description instantly jogs a memory, making it feel as vivid as the moment itself. For instance, we did a boat tour to Stromboli and picked up a pizza slice and a slab of tiramisu to eat whilst watching the incredible sunset and the amazing lava spilling out of the volcano. I will always associate the views and experience with the taste of the food we enjoyed whilst bobbing on the Mediterranean.
This might be cliché but one of the reasons I love writing about cheese and food in general is because I can’t separate it from memory.
Everything I eat is anchored to a moment, a place, and also a feeling.
Pizza, sea, lava + love
Tiramisù (which literally means “pick me up” in Treviso dialect
