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Originally Posted by senior citizen
We didn't do the bread part either......just like you mention above.
Although I never knew my Italian grandfather, I did know my Italian grandmother who was widowed for 50 years when she died at age 95.
Her eldest daughter married a neighborhood "boy" who was Sicilian, thus my cousins are Sicilian descent. When I think back now to much of my grandmother's cooking and baking, she did ADD many of the Sicilian type "dishes" that she must have enjoyed at her own daughter's table.
I've also read that southern Italy has a distinctive touch of Sicilian culture.
Could be from the sailors who came across to that region near Naples.
My mom, who was Ukrainian, learned to make her lasagna from my father and his sisters, mother, etc..........and they didn't just use meat sauce...they made teeny tiny meatballs to layer with the ricotta cheese and mozarella...........that was time consuming to roll those tiny meatballs.............they also mixed an egg or two with the ricotta cheese and parsley or basil.........I've since read that the Sicilians make the tiny meatballs..........so there is a connection.
My husband's favorite series of all time is THE SOPRANOS........we were nothing like them, believe me......but we enjoy watching the DVD's.
Ditto for the GODFATHER movie when he goes back to Palermo, Sicily.
My aunt's husband's family were from Sciacca Sicily.
I just remembered that my mom's Ukrainian brother also married a gal whose family roots were from Sicily and she was a great cook.
Did yours use a lot of fennel????
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Sciacca is a fishing village on the northwest coast of Sicily. We have family living there. The road from Sciacca to Menfi goes through Ribera...it is beautiful, mountanous country, and there are vineyards in that region. Sciacca is known for it seafood (obviously) and has a cuisine much different from the interior of Sicily. Sicilian cooking is very heavily influenced by both the Greeks (who invaded) and the Arabs from North Africa (who invaded); hence the use of dried fruits and nuts in many of the desserts.
As for fennel - no, my family used fennel as part of a salad, never cooked, but there is a "famous" Sicilian dish made at Christmas with fennel and fresh sardines...certainly not my cup of tea.