“Welcome.
This is a typical Sicilian restaurant. We have no menu, but I tell you what we
have and you choose,” explained the waitress, knowing she already had us all
eating out of the palm of her hand. We nodded eagerly, thrilled in equal parts
by the phrase “typical Sicilian restaurant”, the clear lack of tourists and the
charming quirkiness of there being no menu.
We indulged
in a mini feast of antipasti, including the Sicilian speciality caponata – a cold starter of sautéed aubergine,
olives, celery and tomatoes – followed by pasta, fish and a delicious (but
surprisingly chilled) bottle of red wine. We felt triumphant; our first night
in Palermo and we had stumbled upon an authentic Sicilian restaurant.
But then,
the bill came. And it was clear that we had been taken for an authentic
Sicilian ride (something we hoped was not a speciality). The ‘spoken menu’
meant that we had no clue what we would be paying, and the charming staff took
the liberty of making a quick (and very large) buck.
This was, I
am happy to say, the only tourist trap into which we threw ourselves. The rest
of our culinary journey through Sicily was both delicious and reasonably
priced. The only thing better than feasting on Sicilian food for four days is
feasting on Sicilian food with friends
for four days. We met our lovely friends from London – Charlee and Lisa – in
Palermo, and discovered the sights, the beaches and (most importantly) the food
together.
As you
already know, pizza and ice cream are good for the soul, but here in Sicily we
discovered so much more. Aside from some mouth-wateringly delicious pasta
dishes (which were all perfectly al dente
– my favourite being a concoction of pasta, homemade pesto, king prawns and
toasted almonds), we also treated ourselves to sweet and fluffy pastries filled
with cream, arancini (deep-fried rice
balls) and panelle (chickpea fritters)
– typical Sicilian street food that surprisingly reminded me of Indian food,
filling my mouth with reminiscence and a longing for home that I can’t quite
shake.
Some of the
best restaurants could be found hidden in winding alleyways and non-descript
side streets, lit up and glowing from both the warmth of the pizza oven, as
well as the hearty laughter of the locals inside. Of course, there were some
comedy tourist restaurants to avoid – one in particular we came across was run
by a very friendly and charming man from Calcutta who was so excited to meet a
fellow Indian (as was I, I must admit) that he guaranteed to feed me and my
friends extremely well. Unfortunately, though the offer was generous, the
presence of the ‘Pizza Bin Laden’ on the menu was enough to put us off. We
never found out if it was an exploding pizza or simply a bomb garnished with
mozzarella and tomato sauce, but we politely declined.
We did a lot
more than simply eat in Sicily (I promise); we explored beaches, towns and
cities; we stumbled across beautiful and intricately designed churches; and we
basked in the glorious sun. But Sicilian cuisine deserves a post all on its
own. And I haven’t even started on the food markets yet! Exotic fruits and
vegetables, the head of a swordfish, stacks of nose-tingling, aromatic spices,
salty and juicy capers, tomatoes sweet enough to earn their contested title as
a fruit… and much, much more.
I very
rarely needed dessert. The company of my friends, who often left me in
eye-watering fits of laughter and heart-rendering moments of companionship, was
enough to fill me with the sweet sensation that life is at its best when it is
simple and full of love.
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