Sicily people & Sites

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:02:04 GMT

I'm back from 2 weeks holiday in Sicily, was one of the last option to get some sun and diving water not of an swimming pool. In all those days we have seen amazing places were allot of ancient history was written.

An impressive Italian Isle on the south border of Europe where From Carthaginians ,Greeks ,Romans to Arabs ,Normans and Spanish-Bourbon every of this ancient civilizations have build an part of their history around Sicily.

Sicily is sometimes nicknamed God’s Kitchen because of its rich cuisine. The island has had a variety of culinary influences because of its location. The influence of the Greeks can be found here: Dionysus has been said to have introduced wine to the region. The Romans later conquered the island, introducing lavish dishes based upon goose. The Byzantines introduced sweet and sour flavors while during the 10th and 11th centuries the Arabs brought apricots, sugar, citrus, sweet melons, rice, saffron, raisins, nutmeg, clove, pepper, and cinnamon which are all still seen in the cuisine today. The Normans and Hohenstaufen introduced a fondness for meat dishes. The Spanish introduced numerous items from the New World including cocoa, maize, turkey, tomatoes and other produce items. Tuna, sea bream, sea bass, cuttlefish, swordfish and other seafood available off the coastline is an integral part of the modern cuisine.

Here are some of the most important historic sites that we have visited :

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/dumian/Sites_History

Cosmin's Hooking testify: Food and drink

Sicily people & Sites