Sicilian Feasts

SICILIAN FEASTS was born out of the author’s love for her native Sicily. She shares the history, customs, and folklore, as well as the flavorful and varied cuisine of her beautiful Mediterranean island in recipes, stories, and anecdotes. SICILIAN FEASTS offers more than 160 recipes, along with menus for holidays, notes on ingredients, list of suppliers, an introduction to the Sicilian language, and a glossary of food terms in Sicilian, Italian, and English. Illustrations demonstrate special techniques. Giovanna Bellia La Marca uses simple methods and readily available ingredients to teach the straightforward and delectable everyday cooking of Sicily, thus allowing even novices to create feasts in their kitchens. She features examples of elaborate dishes created by the monzu’, a class of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century professional cooks. These dishes are now effortlessly recreated with modern appliances. The astonishing ’Mpanata, a lamb pie from Ragusa, is sure to please one’s most exacting guests. La Marca also introduces her readers to the practice of transforming almond paste into beautiful and realistic marzipan fruits, a traditional Sicilian art form. Read more