Gastronomy and

      

Typical Products

Gastronomy and Typical Products

One   of   the   greatest   pleasures   in   visiting   Selinunte   is   the   culinary   treats.   The   most   recommended   and   appreciated   dishes   are,   for example,   pasta   and   sardines,   home   made   busiati   and   the   fresh   grilled   fish   then   the   particular      Castelvetrano   ‘black   bread’ seasoned   with   local   extra   virgin   olive   oil   straight   from   the   surrounding   farms,   and   finally   to   top   everything   off   a   cannoli   with ricotta or a big slice of cassata sicilian cake.

Black Bread

of Castelvetrano

The    form    is    that    of    a    ”vastedda”    (a typical    round    flat    soft    sicilian    cheese made   from   sheep   milk),   the   crust   is   hard and   dark,      covered   with   sesame   seeds, the   inside   is   very   soft   and   of   a   wheat yellow     color.     This     typical     bread     of Castelvetrano    has    become,    during    the years,    more    and    more    rare    and    even risked     becoming     extinct          since     the wheat    used    has    to    be    stone    ground sicilian   wheat   and   it   has   to   be   baked   in a   wood   burning   oven   to   obtain   the   best results   and   both   of   these   practices   are not   much   in   use   nowadays.   The   black color     derives     from     the     wheat.     The dough    is    obtained    by    blending    two types    of    flour,    that    is,    regular    sicilian wheat   flour   and   a   flour   obtained   from an      ancient      type      of      wheat      called ‘tumminia’.   Both   are   whole   wheat   flours and    are    obtained    by    stone    grinding. This   very   rare   ‘tumminia’   is   what   gives this   bread   its   color,      extraordinary   taste and   that   particular   toasted   aroma.   The other     ingridients     for     this     bread     are water, salt and yeast (criscenti)

Pasta with sardines

This     is     a     delicious,     original-sicilian pasta     recipe.     A     tastey     dish     which combines   the   wonderful   flavors   of   the sardines,   wild   fennel,   toasted   almonds, raisins   and   pine   seeds.   This   dish   is   best betweeen    the    months    of    March    and September    when    the    best,    freshest sardines   and   fennel   are   easily   found. To add even more flavor to   this   already   delicious   dish   just   toss   a handful     of     toasted     bread crumbs    on    top    of    the    pasta    before serving. Extra Virgin Olive Oil “Nocellara del Belice D.O.P.” Superior    quality    olives    and    olive    oil, slightly    spicy    with    a    high    content    of polyphenols    and    near    zero    choleste- rol.   The   olives   are   hand-picked   at   the beginning   of   the   autum   season   when the fruit is not yet fully ripe.

Traditional sweets

It  

is  

impossibile  

to  

speak  

about  

Sicily

without    

mentioning    

the    

many    

deli-

cious typical sweets of this

land.

The  

“

Sicilian  

Cassata

”  

made  

with  

few

and   

simple   

ingredients:   

fresh   

ricotta

cheese,    

sponge    

cake    

and    

almond

paste.   

It   

is   

decorated   

with   

a   

sugar

glaze  

and  

candied  

fruit.  

The  

result  

is  

a

true explosion of flavor and emotions.

Sicilian    Cannoli,    probably    the    most representative       of       Sicily’s       sweets tradition. Martorana    Fruits:    The    preperation    of martorana   fruit   is   an   art,   first   of   all   you have    to    prepare    the    forms,    usually fruits      and      vegetables,      then      the decorations   done   with   brilliant   colors and        shadings        that        make        the martoranas   seem   real.   The   preperation only calls for almond paste and sugar.