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.

Un po' di pranzo (a spot of lunch)

About 10km along the coast from Messina to the west, surrounding a lagoon where locals farm mussels and clams, is the town of Ganzirri. On the limb of land which separates the lagoon from the sea is an unassuming-looking family-run restaurant called Trattoria del Lago. Simona's uncle took us there for lunch before we headed back to Ispica.

 

As is usually the case in a trattoria, there was no menu, just a verbal description of what they have today. This way, you know that the food you are getting is the freshest available, more than likely caught only a few hours earlier. The offerings were simple: either pasta or rice with mussels or clams for the primo (first plate) with fried squid, octopus salad, or a fish similar to swordfish (I didn't catch the name) for the secondo.

 

Simona's uncle recommended that we must also order an antipasto (starter) of Polpette di Pescespada con Salsa Semplice (swordfish meatballs in simple tomato sauce), so good that "When God is pissed off with the world, He sends for a plate of these and afterwards everything is ok again"

I had the Spaghetti con Cozze (spaghetti with mussels) in a delicious tomato sauce. Then Calamari Fritti (fried squid) beautifully tender with just enough bite. I also tasted some of Simona's Insalata di Polpo (octopus salad) which was also delicious. The meal was accompanied by fresh and delicious bread with sesame seeds and washed down with a local red wine "for those in the know" which arrived in an unlabeled bottle with a crown cap. It was very slightly frizzante with a mellow, rounded but robust flavour similar to port.

 

This place is well worth a trip to Messina and the very traffic-heavy drive out to Ganzirri. The food was all superb. As the owner said, it's "cooked as simply as possible to get to the essential flavour of the fish".