Celebrations and FoodComenius Project “Lost in Time”

Istituto Superiore “Majorana”

Palermo (Italy)

There is a bond between cultural identity , local resources and cuisine.All ingredients are cultural products that derive from people’s labour.Colours, smells and tastes of the dishes have a historical value.Sicilian cuisine speaks the ancient language of Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Jews and Monsù ( French Chef ).

Carnival Carnevale

Carnival is a festival celebrated in countries of Christian tradition. Public parades with allegoric and playful elements take place The typical feature is the use of masks.

The most common Carnival sweets are different kinds of fritters and doughnuts.

Le Frittelle di carnevale

Le Zeppole

Le Cicerchiate di carnevaleLe Castagnole

Le Chiacchiere

Le Ciambelle

Saint Joseph San Giuseppe

• St. Joseph is the patron of poor and indigent. To thank the Lord for a grace received, on 19 March some families set up “tavolate”, a banquet, at home for indigent people who are special guests for this day.

• Another important tradition on St. Joseph Eve is the“vampa“, a large bonfire, to burn old things and remove darkness and announce light (Summer Solstice).

Saint JosephA form of charity was also the free

distribution of a loaf with a cross on the top and flavoured with wild fennel seeds. This bread is called the "Bread of St. Joseph“.

"Pasta with sardines" is typical for this occasion. Farmers and fishers thank St Joseph, protector of the workers, for the harvest eating poor ingredients from sea (sardines) and land (pasta and fennel).

"Sfincia of St. Joseph" The name of this cake comes from “Sfang” which means “fermented fried dough” in Arabic. This soft fritter is stuffed with ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit.

Pasta with sardines

Sfincia of St. Joseph

Bread of St. Joseph

Easter Pasqua Easter is one of the most important

celebration of the Christian religion as it commemorates Christ’s Resurrection. Sicilian gastronomy has a wealth of typical Easter dishes.

L'agnello (lamb)

U Sciusceddu (meatball in phyllo dough/puff pastry)

Il Tegame Pasquale di Aragona (rigatoni timbale with peas, meat, eggs)

Le ciambelle di Pasqua (ring-shaped cake)

La colomba Pasquale (a cake in a dove shape)

La Cassata

La Cassatella

Pupo con l’uovo

L'agnelloSciusceddu

Le Ciambelle di Pasqua

Il tegame Pasquale

La CassataLa Cassatella

I Pupi di Pasqua

Cassata dates back to the Arabs and it means “bowl“. To honour Costanza d’Altavilla (1154-1198) a crown shaped cake was filled with a milkcream called “biancomangiare”. The cooks of the French aristocracy, Monsù, filled the cake with “ricotta”, sugar and chocolate drops and baked it in the oven.In 1894 pastry Gulì of Palermo, decorated it with an icing glaze and candied fruit.

Marzipan Lamb Pecorella

Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar or honey and almond meal. For Easter people use to prepare marzipan lambs.

Saint Rosalia Santa RosaliaSanta Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo and according to the tradition, in 1624 she rescued Palermo from a great plague. As gratitude people chose this Saint as protector of the city, dedicating her a festival from 11 to 15 July.

Saint Rosalia During the celebrations there

is an outburst of street food “Babbaluci “(small whitish

snails seasoned with garlic and parsley)

Stewed octopus, boiled corncob, watermelon, panelle

“Scaccio/calia e semenza” (seeds, toasted chickpeas)

“Stigghiole” (ovine or cows entrails on the spit )

“Pani ca meusa” soft bread stuffed with chopped veal lung and spleen

All Saints’ Day “I Morti”On 2 November Eve children receive gifts from their dead relatives.

Parents hide toys at home and prepare a wicker basket with dried figs, marzipan fruits and vegetables and “pupo di zucchero”, (sugar puppet).

“Pupi” can be referred to the pagan Greek rite of remembering the dead with little statues. Once people had lunch at the graveyard with bread, honey and almonds.

“Muffolette”, seasoned bread with oil, cheese and salted anchovy, are usually eaten in the morning.

Pupe di zucchero

Pasta reale

Muffolette

Feast Day of Virgin Mary Immacolata

On 8 December in Sicily people celebrate “Immaculate Conception” with processions, fireworks and typical dishes. Sicilian people have a special devotion to Mary with striking rituals.

This feast day introduces the Christmas period with the decoration of a tree and the creating of a nativity scene. Relatives and friends come together to eat and play cards.

Feast Day of Virgin Mary Sfincione is a spongy flour dough enriched with

pieces of “caciocavallo” cheese and covered by salted sardines, tomato-sauce, onions, fresh grated “caciocavallo” and drops of good-smelling olive oil. The word derives from Latin “spongea” (sponge).

Typical sweets for 8 December are Petrafennula, a kind of extremely hard nougat from Arab origin. It is made with honey, almonds, lemon and orange peels and cinnamon.

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Sfincione

Petrafennulla

Saint Martin San Martino

On 11 November farmers thank Saint Martin for the good harvest.It is the period of must fermenting .People drop anis biscuits in sweet wine such as Moscato

Saint Lucy Santa Lucia

• Palermo celebrates the Virgin of Syracuse on 13 December. She saved the population from a terrible famine. A ship loaded of wheat arrived in the harbour and people were so hungry that they did not have time to prepare flour. So they decided to boil wheat adding only a little oil, creating the "Cuccia".

• It is the feast of light ( Winter Solstice)

Santa Lucia

From that time as devotion, people do not eat flour (pasta or bread) but only dishes based on rice and wheat.

“Arancine” are saffron-flavoured rice ball with peas and filled with meat sauce invented by the Saracens. Originally the dish was made of saffron-flavoured rice and vegetables, enriched with chicken or pieces of mutton.

“Cuccia” is a dessert based on wheat and ricotta or milk cream.

Arancine al burro

Arancine al sugo

Cuccia

Cuccia al cioccolato

Christmas Natale

A traditional Christmas lunch

Il polpettone di sfoglia (meatpie)

Lasagne (large shaped pasta with meat in tomato sauce)

Bruciuluni (stuffed meat)

Lamb

Carciofi al forno (artichockes)

Cassata

Cannoli

Polpettone di Sfoglia

Agnello

Carciofi al forno

La CassataCannoli

“Bruciuluni” Falsomagro

It looks like a simple dish, but in fact this meat roll contains a lot of ingredients as it is an imitation of a “rich” recipe prepared by the “Monsù” (1850).A slice of beef is rolled with a mortadella layer, boiled eggs , seasoned with pine nuts, raisins , breadcrumbs, basil, parsley and cooked in tomato-sauce.