Sicilian Food: Recipes from Italy's Abundant Isle

by Mary Taylor Simeti

If there is one book that belongs on the shelf of food lovers, it is Sicilian Food by Mary Taylor Simeti. This book is a classic, the definitive work on Sicilian cooking and it is full of authentic, hard to find recipes gleaned from the author's friends, family and acquaintances on the island itself. Originally published in 1989 under the title Pomp and Twenty Five Centuries of Sicilian Food and then unavailable for almost ten years, Mary Taylor Simeti’s affectionate, exhaustive work has come to be recognized as the definitive book on the food, traditions and recipes of this sun-drenched island.

The author, an American married to a Sicilian, set out to discover Sicilian food first hand. She haunted former convents and palaces where Palermo's libraries have been maintained. She tested each ancient recipe herself and updated the methods. Her directions are clear and easy to follow. The book is organized so that the material reflects both the external influences of a series of conquerors, and the domestic changes brought about by peasant, clergy and aristocrat alike. Her chapter titles hint at the enticing discoveries waiting for the reader and the recipes reflect the chapter titles.

There are recipes using the vegetable abundance of the Sicilian landscape, for ice cream or granita, and, yes there are recipes for Virgins Breasts and Chancellor's Buttocks. The book contains more than a hundred illustrations from Sicilian archives and museums and the text quotes freely from Homer, Plato, Apicius, Lampedusa, and Pirandello. Simeti's prose is so descriptive that to read it is to be in Sicily.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Rosemary Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magical time traveling tour dining included

I love this book, everyone needs a copy. It has everything to inspire those who cook no matter why or with how much experience. It is also readable for those who enjoy reading cookbooks even those who read but never cook. This is a keeper.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

My beautiful copy is a lemon yellow paperback just slightly larger than a regular book; exactly the right size for something that is essentially a history of Sicily and should be held and read. Phenomenally interesting, charming, illustrated - haven’t made a single recipe from it yet, but worth it for the history alone. Studded with primary sources like chips of pistachios on a Sicilian cake.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first and still very much the best Sicilian cook book. Mart Taylor Simeti is a living legend.

[Marilyn]

Written by an intelligent American woman who married a Sicilian, it follows her memior. There is a great deal to learn about the history of this island from its many foods and recipes.

I found this book to be extremely interesting. It is very well written.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book to read, tasty recipes.
In Dutch: de siciliaanse keuken.