In Italy... well in Sicily... well in Ispica...

The phrase "In Italy... well in Sicily... well in Ispica..." has become an in-joke between the two of us, because often when talking about something from her own culture, Simona starts the explanation of how things are done, or what things are like with that phrase. Italy is so regional that the foods, culture and customs can be very different from one town to another.

Nowhere is this difference more clear than with food. Food is so important in Italy; it's more than simply sustenance, it's a way to show hospitality, acceptance and love.

Many foods which are now reasonably universal around Italy (indeed the world!) started as regional specialities. Prosciutto, for example, is widely known as Parma ham because it originates from Parma in the cool north of Italy. It couldn't be made in the south of Italy, say in Calabria, because the weather is far too hot to be hanging great chunks of dead pig around the house - it'd be rancid in no time. Bolognese sauce, as its name suggests, originates from Bologna and pesto sauce was originally from Genoa.

Each region of Italy has its own cheeses (although some may have the same names), for example the delicious, sweet yet salty sheep's milk cheese, Pecorino (pronounced peck-or-REE-no) has three main types: Pecorino Sardo from Sardinia, Pecorino Toscano from Tuscany and Picurinu Sicilianu from Sicily. Naturally, a Sardinian will claim that their Pecorino is the best, a Tuscan that you can't beat theirs and a Sicilian wouldn't need to tell you that the Picurinu is the ultimate Pecorino cheese because it should be obvious.

Arancini (pronounced aran-CHEE-nee) in Sicily are tennis ball-sized, pear-shaped balls of rice filled with sauce usually with cheese, chunks of boiled egg and perhaps even ham in the middle, coated in breadcrumbs and then deep fried. The Romans have their own sausage-shaped version called supplì (pronounced soo-PLEE).

There are also regional specialities which have stayed very, very regional. One example is Modican chocolate which is only found in Modica in the province of Ragusa in Sicily. You won't generally find it in Rome, Milan or even Palermo, if you want to try it, you'll just have to take a trip to Modica to get some.