A Basic Sicilian Vocabulary

As soon as you set foot in Palermo you will immediately realize that, along with Italian, the Sicilians also speak their own language, Sicilian, a language in which traces of Arabic, Spanish, French and even Greek are mixed.

As happens with all languages, there are certain words and expressions that are untranslatable and express the identity of the place better than anything else. Some of Sicilian words have become a kind of trademark of the island by its own right.

On Instagram, different profiles help us to learn some Sicilian words in a funny way, but if you have a finely tuned ear, you will surely be able to pick them up on the fly on any street you pass by. And if not, just look around and you'll find them stamped on souvenirs of all kinds or in the windows of talented artists.

Here is a brief guide that every traveler should know:

- Minchia!, literally it means "penis" and is certainly the most used expression in Sicily. It is used to express surprise and can be easily inserted into any part of the conversation. It also has derivatives, such as minchiata, if you have said or done something you shouldn't have, then: hai fatto una minchiata!

- Camurria: almost anything that bothers you or tires you or bores you is a camurria. For example, when you have to return home after your holidays in Sicily, you would say: Che camurria! Or when the time to pack your suitcase will arrive, then you would describe that action as camurriosa.

- Futtitinni: more than a word, it is a philosophy of life. If you have a difficulty or a problem, futtitini, this is, go ahead, don't worry and enjoy yourself, because that thing it's not that important. Have you missed the plane? You can’t go back home? Futtitinni!

- Che duci!, in Italian it would be dolce, in English, how sweet. It is used for food, of course, but especially for people. Did you have a nice detail with someone? Then you've been duci!

- Arricriarsi: if an Italian enjoys, a Sicilian s'arricrìa. Arricriarsi is not just to be well or to have fun, but it has an extra nuance, there is a feeling of fullness, of great pleasure. You say this when you have lived that perfect moment that has it all what you need.

Viva Santa Rusulia! The festino in Palermo for Saint Rosalia.

“U Fistinu” is the name that the Palermitani give to the big and most important celebration of the year, the memorial of the miracle that saved the city of Palermo from the terrible plague pandemic of 1624.

The miracle was made by Santa Rosalia or, as called in Sicilian dialect: “A Santuzza.” Or, Palermo's Saint Rosalie, as she is known in English.

The celebration starts on July, 10th and it lasts 5 days until the 15th, the day when Santa Rosalia's urn is marched through the city in a grand procession. It's when the mortal body of S. Rosalia travels through the streets of Palermo's historic city center.

During the 4 days that precede the procession, 2 programs are planned: one religious with liturgical celebrations and exhibitions dedicated to the Saint and many re-enactment shows.

The second program is connected to city hall. There is a huge parade, on the 14th of July, carried out from the Cathedral

located in Corso Vittorio Emanuele with the last stop in the “Foro Italico” located at the end of the street Corso Vittorio Emanuele.

For the event, a big float is built with the statue of Saint Rosalia. People from all over the city walk behind the float and ehen the parade and the huge crowd arrives at Foro Italico, there is always a spectacular firework show and everyone yells out: “Viva Palermo e Santa Rosalia,” long live Palermo and Saint Rosalie. During this time in Palermo, some streets are also decorated with lights, pictures of the Saint, and altars with her statue.

Over the years “il festino,” as the Santa Rosalia party is nicknamed, became more and more important, full of meanings, scenographies, and choreographies connected to the tradition and the religious cult.

The festino attracts people from every part of Sicily and amazes tourists that, for the occasion, participate in the celebration in July.

Then in September, there is the feast in the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia in Monte Pellegrino and the Palermitani people do the “Acchianata”, a pilgrimage by foot running across one ancient path of about 4 km.

the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, on the top of Mount Pellegrino in Palermo includes one wall dating back to 1600, next to the rock and the cave of Saint Rosalia, located almost at the highest point of the mountain. Inside it is possible to admire the statue of the Saint. The famous statue is of her lying with her head resting on her right hand.

The sanctuary has always been a sacred place. King Carlo III of Borbone, gifted the Palermitan senate precious ornaments to decorate and honor the statue. The statue's body is covered with a damask dress all in gold and her head is adorned with a crown made with golden roses. Between the fingers of her left hand she has a crucifix and one book.

The Palatine Chapel in Palermo

Do you love art and you would like to spend a unique day in Palermo?

It’s time to visit the Palatine Chapel. It is located in the Norman Palace (also known as the Royal Palace), the oldest royal house of Europe that today is also the headquarters of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The Palatine Chapel was named 2015 UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the path of Arabic-Norman Palermo, along with the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. It was dedicated to St. Peter the apostle and built as a place of worship for the royal family.

The building of the Norman-Byzantine basilica goes back to year 1117. But only in 1129 did the construction of it actually begin, ordered bt King Ruggero II of Sicily. Its building was completed in 1143, when it was inaugurated. Already by 1458 some repairs were needed, like the roof. The last repairs were done in 2008, due to the damage from the earthquake in 2002.

The chapel is divided in 3 naves, separated by granite and marble columns with composite capitals, which support 5 ogival strings for every side. The chapel is one of the best preserved Medieval monuments because there are different styles that coexist: the marble decoration in opus sectile, marble inlay of the floors and walls, the Byzantine mosaics of the presbytery on the aisles, and the Islamic paintings of the muqarnas (decorative technique aka “honeycomb”). The mosaics represent biblical figures, geometric shapes, animals and dancers.

The dominant figure is Christ Pantocrator, present in the cupola in the act of blessing, with the 3 fingers up. Christ’s clothes remind us of the ceremonial clothes of Byzantine people.

To buy tickets to visit this chapel and get visitor info, including opening times, dates, and the price for the tickets, click here: https://www.federicosecondo.org/costo-biglietto/

Tulips of Blufi, the small Holland of Sicily

Did you know that in Sicily there is a tulip field just as beautiful as in The Netherlands?

The Netherlands is known as the country of flowers, in particular tulips, and the country of bikes… with baskets filled in with tulips!

In Sicily, there is also a beautiful field, with red tulips, and a nice panorama with mountains!

This field is located in Blufi, province of Palermo (98,6 km from Palermo), a very small town in the Park of Madonie. But this is a natural Tulip field! The flowers bloom in March and the tulips grew spontaneously in a field cultivated with wheat, between olive trees and almond trees.

It’s a magical panorama of blossoms of colors.

The tulips of Blufi are particularly resistant to the operations of wheat-field ploughing, thanks to the position of bulbs,
around 50 centimeters deep. It is called “fringed tulip”, a tulip variety of unknown origin.

This field is located near the Sanctuary of Madonna dell’Olio. The tulip field now is fenced and there are rules about how to appreciate the tulips respectfully:

1. It is possible to enter only from the main entrance and follow the obligated path inside the field.
2. You cannot enter the field without permission
3. You may not touch or step on tulips and you may not remove the bulbs
4. Picnics and camping are prohibited

The flowers bloom around March but we suggest you follow on Facebook the page “I Tulipani di Madonna dell’Olio” to understand when it is the best period to see the tulips of Blufi.

Martorana Church aka Ammiraglio Church in Palermo

Walking in Palermo, it is so easy to visit and to discover different parts of the beautiful city. If you are planning
to spend time in Palermo and you like visiting and seeing beautiful sites, the Martorana church is one you can’t miss.

The church known as Martorana is located in Piazza Bellini, 3 Palermo. Its building was completed in 1143 and built by Giorgio Antiocheno, a big admiral under King Ruggero II, King of Sicily.

In 1221 the church was given to the Greek clergy. In 1436 the king Alfonso d’Aragona gave to the Benedictine nuns that lived in the nearest monastery of Martorana.

Over the years some changes happen in the church, such as the original face was destroyed along with the original mosaics inside. Now the inner part of the church has a mix of ancient elements and baroque elements. The floor is original, although heavily restored.

There still beautiful mosaics in the church and they represent the following scenes:
1. Christ enthroned surrounded by 4 archangels (in the dome that have to the base one Arabic
sentence on wooden boards); prophets and king (in the drum)
2. Annunciation and presentation to the temple (in the arcades)
3. Saint Giuseppe
4. Apostles
5. Nativity
6. The Virgin Maria
7. Giorgio Antiocheno on the feet of the Virgin;
8. Christ crowning King Ruggero

The Benedictine Monastery of the Matorana Church was built in 1194 by Goffredo and Eloisa Martorana, near the two churches: Ammiraglio and S. Cataldo.

The church, the monastery, and a convent took the name “complex martorana” to honor and remember the sweet desserts baked by the nuns. The monastery was transformed into a university place but then was destroyed.

In one room was a nice wooden roof painting of XVII century. In a small garden there was a baroque fountain that used columns probably taken from the nearest Norman buildings.

The name of the church is connected to the sweet desserts typical in Palermo: “a martorana” or “marzapane.” The tradition tells us that the garden of the monastery was rich, one of the nicest gardens and land in all
city where fruit trees grew and vegetables too, cared for by the nuns.

Matorana is a Sicilian marzipan dessert. Matorana is almond paste sweets made to look like fresh fruit.

One day, the bishop, curious to visit it during the autumn period, decided to go to the monastery and to
take a look. The garden did not have any fruits because of the season. The nuns decorated the trees with
marzipan sweets made with almonds flour, and the typical Sicilian dessert Matorana was born!

The recipe goes back to XIII – XIV century and it has Arabic origins. Originally, the “marzipan” was a wooden box with a plug and it was used for different things, as to save important documents (from this: “open the marzapani and reveal secrets). Frequently this box was used to send sweets made with flour and almonds.

Let’s take a walk in the historical city center of Palermo, find a pastry and taste the sweet martorana fruit.

Enjoy the taste.

Li Carnivali, Carnival in Palermo, Sicily since the 1600s + Authentic Recipe for Chiacchiere

Carnival time in Sicily is a moment of a big party, glitz, and celebrations full of colors.

The term carnival derives from the expressions “carnem levare,” referring to the ecclesiastic ban on eating meat during the Lent season.

The first historical references to the Sicilian Carnival are from 1600 and are located in the city of
Palermo. At the time, Carnival was a theatre of baroque costume and comedies represented in squares. Theaters became ballrooms where everyone would wear a mask.

Today, the carnival is celebrated in many cities of the world and many cities of Sicily, where usually the day
is full of parades with masks, allegorical floats, and music.

We celebrate, before the carnival parade, different days of carnival: Thursday of cousins, Thursday of
friends, giovedì grasso where usually a typical dinner is with “sugo” tomato sauce and meat. The last day of celebrating during this period before the Lent season is martedì grasso, fat Tuesday.

A typical sweet food in Palermo during carnival is “chiacchiera.” It is a crunchy pastry fried or cooked in the oven.

Here’s a quick recipe for chiacchiere — 40 pieces:

Ingredients for authentic Sicilia chiacchiere:

• flour 00 500 gr

• butter at room temperature 50gr

• 3 medium eggs

• vanilla

• a pinch of salt

• sugar 70gr

• 1 yolk

• baking powder 6gr

• grappa

1. To make the chiacchiere, sift the flour with the baking powder and add to mixer (leaf beater suggested).

2. Add the sugar, salt, beaten eggs, yolk, grappa. Work until all ingredients are mixed very well.

3. Add the vanilla, butter and continue to mix for 15minutes until you will obtain a homogenous mix.

4. If it needs, it is possible to add 5/10gr of water. Move the mix on a surface and give it a spherical shape.

5. Wrap it in plastic wrap and leave it in room temperature for 30minutes. After this time, divide the dough in pieces about 150gr each and manage every piece individually.

6. Flatten and flour it and spread with the aid of a rolling pin.

7. Do the same steps with the other pieces.

8. Leave them to rest and warm up the oil. With a scalloped wheel proceed to create some rectangles.

9. When the oil is warm enough, it is time to fry them and with the aid of forks, turn them from one side to the other side.

10. At the end, you can add or pudding sugar or warm chocolate and they are ready to tasty.

11. Enjoy the chiacchiera!!

Palermo, Sicily and the Covid-19 Pandemic

The first date that marked very strong the Covid-19 pandemic period in Italy started on March 9th, 2020. On that day, Giuseppe Conte, the Italian premier, declared Italy in lockdown. The whole country was a red zone. Many people were infected with the Corona Virus. People could only move to other Italian regions for reasons related to their jobs, health, and residence.

In Palermo, the situation started with the arrival of some Italian tourists that wanted to spend few days in a Sicilian hotel and to enjoy the city. Some of them started to get sick and the employees of the hotel decided to stay in quarantine directly in the hotel. 

Valeria, of Palermo Street Food, standing in front of Palermo’s Cathedral in her mask during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Every day the city of Palermo was changing, less people in the streets but more and more people at the supermarkets stock up on groceries. There was a period in Palermo that was really difficult to find in the markets: flour, yeast and of course, toilet paper. 

Everybody was trying to stay at home and safe, to cook nice meals, and to follow the rules that the Italian government introduced to reduce the effects of Covid.

Sicily became an isolated island because all the flights were canceled and the ferries from the Italian region Calabria were stopped to avoid the increase of cases. 

During summer 2020, the situation changed a lot, because there were less cases and the people started to go out, to spend days at the beaches, and to visit the city center again. 

Our friend Caterina, a biologist, administering Covid-19 tests in Palermo, Sicily

Perhaps because some tourism returned to Palermo then, the virus made a resurgence one more time after the summer, at the beginning of autumn 2020 and the second wave of the pandemic took over the city and lasted for most of 2021.

In late 2021 and into 2022, the Omicron variant took over Palermo. Temporary hospitals were set up to take on overflow from emergency rooms.

Covid-19 testing in Palermo, Via Marchese di Villabianca

Now, going into spring 2022, in Palermo the face mask protections, the Covid tests, and the vaccines are helping the the city against Covid.

Catania: Sicilian pearl three hours from Palermo

Have you ever thought about how big Sicily actually is? About 16,051 miles (25.832,39 km). From Palermo, it’s almost three hours to reach Catania, the Sicilian city, with her Majesty Etna.

To get to Catania from Palermo just take the highway Palermo-Catania. The big and high Etna volcano, which is extremely active and just a few days ago erupted, offers us beautiful scenery with a fountain of lava and clouds of smoke.

In a nice city near Catania, Giarre, there is a nice venue called Radicepura Horticultural Park, located at Via Fogazzaro, 19, 95014 Giarre CT, Italy, It’s a great place to celebrate your wedding or event. If you like the idea of celebrating, also a birthday or other celebration, with the view of Etna and the sea at the same time, the botanical garden is the perfect place to make a memory in Sicily.

Your eyes will fall upon one secular olive tree after another, surrounded by white roses, and a nice building with a terrace and a greenhouse.

A garden festival is also organized there, an international event dedicated to garden design and to the architecture of the Mediterranean Sea. The festival aims to give value to nature, through events and new ideas: from music to artistic installations, from botanic to culinary.

After a visit to the city, it is time to relax and to go to a bar to drink an Aperol spritz made with Prosecco, Aperol, and sparkling water, and to have lunch with Sicilian street food.

Best Places to Visit in Palermo Sicily

We love this video! Our very own Giorgio takes the folks from Grenzenlos to some key spots in Palermo including Capo Market, Vucciria Market, and Ballarò Market.

I Cuochini: the ultimate antica rosticceria Palermitana

I Cuochini is the ultimate antica rosticceria Palermitana; tucked away, but not forgotten, for nearly 200-years! This hidden gem is located in a small courtyard just off of the bustling shopping strip in Palermo’s centro storico. Still in its original location, I Cuochini is a tiny rosticceria or savory bakery that has been serving small “pezzi” in classic Palermo-style since 1826. 

A rosticceria in Sicily is a place where you can buy hot food on the spot to be quickly eaten at the banco counter or taken away. Don’t expect sit down service or even proper plates and cutlery, most of their bites or small pezzi pieces are served in a napkin or as a sampling on a plastic plate. The prices are cheap, the quality is high, and I’ve never seen a more spotless kitchen inside one of these street food kiosks in all of our snacking history. 

If it’s not already, we want to put I Cuochini on your radar. It’s a simple quick stop for a savory breakfast or a snack at lunchtime since they are open 6 days per week from 8:30AM until 2:30PM. Here’s what you’ll find in the window: 

“panzerotti” - small fried calzones
The best ones are zucchini flowers with cheese or the mozzarella with cherry tomato and anchovy.

“timballetti” - fried bundles of angel hair pasta seasoned with meat ragu or béchamel and peas

“crocchettine di latte” - a carefully fried, savory mini milk crocchette made from bechamel with nutmeg

“pasticicini” - savory baked minced meat pies

“arancinette” - small arancine rice balls, stuffed with meat ragu and peas, or béchamel and cubes of cooked ham

“focaccine” and “brioscine” - a variety of small stuffed sandwich buns made with either pizza or brioche dough, then filled with local delicacies like chickpea fritters called “panelle”

Don’t sleep on the panzerotti or the timbaletti; they are the true treasures. Wash it all down with a cold Sicilian citrus soda called “Partannina”. Check out I Cuochini on Via Ruggero Settimo 68, just across from the Disney store and my favorite fresh flower stand.

I Cuochini, Via Ruggero Settimo 68, Palermo PA 90139

Hours: 
Monday-Friday 8:30AM-2:30PM 
Saturday: 8:30AM-2:30PM and 4:30PM-7:30PM 
closed on Sundays

Ricotta al Forno the Recipe

Ricotta is the king of Sicilian cheeses, although it should not technically be called a cheese at all. “La ricotta non è un formaggio, ricotta è ricotta.” Ricotta is just ricotta. About 90% of ricotta made in Sicily comes from sheep’s milk, except for a small part of the island that makes it from cows milk.

The name ricotta actually signifies that it is in fact ”re-cooked” whey that is a bi-product of the first cheesemaking process in the early stages of creating pecorino. This ingredient is incredibly versatile with so many special Sicilian desserts like sfince or cassata featuring sweetened ricotta cream fillings, savory pasta dishes topped with fresh ricotta, there is the salted and aged ricotta salata, baked cinnamon ricotta cakes, or even this lesser-known slowly baked version “ricotta al forno.”

One of our favorite prepared foods to pick up in the market is “ricotta al forno.” This baked ricotta is slowly cooked in a low temperature oven for about an hour before being served on trays to the masses in the outdoor markets in Palermo. Every morning, trays are displayed in the Ballarò amongst piles of Sicilian cheeses like pecorino, ricotta salata, fresh containers of ricotta, provola, and caciocavallo.

There are several varieties of ricotta al forno depending on the toppings you add before cooking. There is a traditional version with only a drizzle of olive oil, others that are covered with Sicilian oregano, a typical Palermitan sfincione topping of tomato/breadcrumb/anchovies/onions, the fan-favorite: pistachio with orange marmellata, seasonal varieties like caramelized onions + artichokes or traditional with dry herbs and spices like rosemary, thyme, spicy red peperoncino, and black peppercorns. We like to serve ricotta al forno as an antipasto with crostini and a fresh drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or it can be used as a condiment inside of a sandwich. Here is a recipe to make ricotta al forno.

RECIPE: Ricotta al Forno (baked ricotta recipe)

Ingredients:
fresh ricotta
fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary, or thyme)
pinch of sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

The plastic strainer that the ricotta comes in helps keep a nice basket shape and allows some of the liquid to run out through the small holes. Flip the fresh ricotta out of the plastic container and let it rest in a bowl for about an hour to air dry and release some additional liquid whey. In a small bowl, prep your toppings, add a pinch of sea salt, and set aside. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the ricotta in one piece onto the tray. Cover the ricotta with a small coating of extra virgin olive oil and then press in the herb topping along the top and sides. Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 1 hour. The ricotta will harden and become a bit more compact with a beautiful overall toasted brown color. Allow it to cool slightly before cutting into it. 

Palermo’s Hardcore Street Foods: Stigghiole

Palermo is famous for its street food culture. There are the crowd-pleasers like panelle chickpea fritters, fluffy sfincione, and arancine rice balls. But, only the bravest know about Palermo’s more hardcore street food. With this new series, we will introduce you to some of our favorites from the more extreme echelon.

Southern Italy, famous for “cucina povera,” a way of making due with what little you have. Now a days, these recipes are a great way to use leftover ingredients in order to create a new dish the next day or to eat well with only a few simple and affordable ingredients. With Sicily’s history of aristocratic noble families on the island, there were luscious French-inspired dishes but there are also these more common countryside dishes that were made with what was available when the best ingredients were too expensive or already given to the landowners. Eating well does not mean you have to spend a lot of money. Which leads us to the topic at hand: stigghiole.

The name stigghiole comes from the Latin word “extilia” meaning intestines, but this dish actually has Greek origins here in Sicily. Stigghiole are made with lamb, veal, or sometimes goat intestines that have been wrapped around green spring onion and a few sprigs of fresh parsley. Some versions of stigghiole wrap a small amount of meat in intestine fat first and others use no meat at all, filling them with chopped white onion, long parsley sprigs, and a sprinkle of grated pecorino cheese before coiling the outside with sausage casings. It almost looks like a sausage and really, when you think about it, it is practically the same ingredients as a sausage. The sausage casings need to be soaked in salt water and rinsed over and over again until they are cleaned properly before using. The perfect balance of fat, salt, freshness from the parsley and a little kick of raw onion make it absolutely mouthwatering.

Throughout Sicily’s “entroterra” and center of the island, you’ll easily find stigghiole in butcher shops or served in the streets during festival celebrations. They are most common in the city of Palermo where we serve them grilled over charcoal or wood-burning barbecues throughout the city center at outdoor markets like Ballarò or Vucciria. It’s a dish that most people do not make themselves since you can buy them pre-made at the butcher shop. Most commonly here in Palermo, we just eat them on the go as a street food snack with lots of lemon squeezed on top.

In Vallelunga Pratameno, a small village in central Sicily, we learned how to make stigghiole with the town butcher. In his shop, they use chopped onions, parsley, and some grated pecorino cheese. The lacy thin pieces of caul fat helped hold it together in this case because the onions were chopped into small pieces. It ends up melting away on the grill but keeps the stigghiole juicer.

In Palermo, the vendors grilling stigghiole are called “stigghiularu.” They grill stigghiole over charcoal fires then slice into bite-sized pieces finished with a squeeze of lemon juice. We absolutely love this dish and know the smell right away when we walk through the market or wander through the streets near la Vucciria after a few beers on a Friday night. The stigghiularu send up their smoke signal to make sure everyone knows where they are. With just a little piece of fat on the grill, the piazza fills with a cloud of delicious smelling smoke and it’s easy to find our beloved stigghiole. Just follow the smoke, and you’ll know what we mean.

Where to find stigghiole in Palermo:

Piazza Caracciolo also known as the old Vucciria market behind Piazza San Domenico

From Monday to Saturdays, you can find them In the Ballarò market

Fresh Pomegranate Juice

One of the best things about Palermo in fall and early winter? Fruit juice. FRESH fruit juice! Pomegranate juice is one of our favorites.

Sicily’s climate is perfect for growing luscious rich-tasting fruit. The warm days and cool nights allow pomegranate shrubs to grow much larger than the ones you might find in California, or other places in the world.

Pomegranates, native to Asia, spread through the centuries to the Middle East and then the Mediterranean. Pomegranate is called melograno in Italian. I Melograni have always been known as a symbol of fertility and bounty. Inside every pomegranate there are hundreds of edible seeds called arils. Pomegranates are rich in fiber, vitamin c, potassium, and even protein. They help reduce the risk of illness. Some even say they are an aphrodisiac!

When that winter chill comes along in Sicily pomegranates, with their high anti-inflammatory effect, are just what you need to feel good. When you press the whole fruit, pomegranate juice contains more antioxidants than any other fruit juice. All of the good stuff actually comes from the oils in the peel and the pith, so don’t forget to press the whole fruit!

In order to reap the best benefits of the pomegranate fruit, make sure to pick them when they are already ripe. This is not a fruit that will continue to ripen after it comes off of the tree. To extract the most juice, roll them on the countertop like you would do with citrus fruit.

Another easy way to pick the seeds out is to score the fruit into quarters from top to tail, then pop out each section and remove seeds from the pithy membranes. Many people also use this technique. Cut the pomegranates in half, place over a bowl, and swiftly hit the back with a wooden spoon.

Where to find Fresh Pomegranate Juice in Palermo?

During fall and early winter in Palermo, you can find pomegranates in the outdoor markets.

Many shops will sell freshly-pressed pomegranate juice for around €3 per cup.

Across from Piazza San Domenico there is a small bar that always sells freshly squeezed orange juice and when you’re lucky, you can find pomegranate juice here too.

In the Ballarò and Capo markets, there are stands that sell the juice daily. Enjoy a cup as often as you like and keep that winter cold away.

​An Afternoon in Palermo’s Botanical Gardens

Eat too much fried panelle and looking for a great place in Palermo to take a long walk?You could be looking for something to do in the afternoon while shops and restaurants close for a few hours. Do yourself a favor and spend an afternoon visiting Palermo’s exceptional Botanical Gardens.

This enormous outdoor museum has been around for nearly 200 years, dating back to the late 18th century. Because of Palermo's favorable climate, many unknown and poorly classified exotic tropical plants were able to thrive here. As a result, Palermo became an important point of reference for other large botanical gardens around Northern Europe. And today, Palermo’s Botanical Garden contains at least 12,000 different species of plants!

When you first arrive to the botanical garden in Palermo, you’ll see a central neo-classical building, known as the Gymnasium. Two smaller buildings are located either side are the Calidarium and the Tepidarium. Originally these smaller buildings housed plants from warm “caldo” and temperate “tiepido” zones.

The oldest section of the gardens is the rectangular Linneian. It is divided into four quarters that is then split into flower beds. The Aquarium is a large round pool surrounded by the lagoon and other small ponds that hosts a variety of aquatic flora.

The Winter Garden is a series of 1,300 square-meters of greenhouses gifted by Queen Maria Carolina of Austria. Originally, it was constructed of wood and heated by stoves, but eventually it was completely rebuilt in cast-iron. Other greenhouses are filled with succulents, coffee plants, cinnamon, bougainvillea and mimosa, bananas, papaya trees, ferns, and other plants from hot-arid climates like Africa, Central America, South America, Asia and Australia.

The Herbarium Mediterraneum was founded at the beginning of the 19th century and hosts a collection of plants, ferns, mosses, funghi and lichens that come from Sicily. It contains a diverse selection of preserved and dried fruit and seeds dating back to the early 20th century. During the summer season, the garden staff collects plants and seeds throughout Sicily that will be identified and stored in the botanical garden’s Seed Bank.

A new addition to the Botanical Gardens is Radiceterna Arte e Ambiente, a non-profit cultural association dedicated to the production, support, and development of contemporary art. Through exhibitions, publications, lectures and live performances, they have created a platform to encourage the public to engage with contemporary art in an environmentally sustainable way.

How to visit the Botanical Gardens in Palermo?

Here’s the info for the Radiceterna Project:
www.radiceterna.org | May–November: 9AM-1PM, 2PM-6PM | Calidarium Pavillion

Here’s the info for the Palermo Botanical Garden:
Orto Botanico dell'Università degli Studi di Palermo
Via Lincoln 2, Palermo 90133, Sicilia, Italia  | +39 91 23891236  |  ortobotanico@unipa.it

Hours:Open every day except December 25 and January 1st.
March: 9AM-6PM
April: 9AM-7PM
May - August: 9AM-8PM
September: 9AM-7PM
October: 9AM-6PM
November - February: 9AM-5PM

Entrance Fees:
€5 general entry
€3 for students, children ages 6-17, adults over 65
€10 Family Ticket includes two adults, two children
Free entrance for children under 5, disabled guests and their companions, and University of Palermo students.

Cucuzza Longa - Those Crazy Zucchine

Il serpente di Sicilia, aka the Sicilian snake, aka cucuzza longa. This is the Sicilian vegetable that catches most people's eyes the first time they visit a market in Palermo. 

This vegetable might look absurd or even comical, but we can assure you, it is much less crazy than it seems!

This vegetable is simply a variety of zucchina.

The origins of this zucchina are not totally known. What we know for sure is that it is a vegetable typical of Southern Italy and Northern Africa. 

The name zucchina serpente is linked to its snake-like form. In fact, it is shocking! These zucchine are so long, they can sometimes grow to be the length of adult people.

This vegetable is also know as cucuzza longa. Cucuzza is Sicilian dialect for zucchina, and longa means, well, long! 

Cucuzza ni voo'? 

The cucuzza longa is tender and spongy. It must be eaten while it is young, otherwise it becomes too hard to eat. It is very low in calories and it is principally made up of water, something like 90%.

This zucchina is the fruit of an invasive plant that produces very tender leaves and small buds that are used to make a typical Sicilian pasta dish: pasta con i tenerumi. 

In the Palermitan diet, the zucchina itself is often steamed with tomato, potatoes, and onions and served in a room-temperature summer soup, with extra virgin olive oil and bread crostini.

Top 10 Street Food Blogs & Websites For Street Food Lovers in 2018

The Palermo Street Food Blog has been named one of the top Street Food Blogs in the world in 2018 by FeedSpot. 

We are on the list with blogs from around the world! From Bangkok, to NYC, to Delhi. We are a global street food community. 

The street food blogs on this list are chosen from thousands of Street Food Blogs. Blogs are chosen based on: Reputation on Google, Social Media Influence, Post consistency, Feedspot’s opinion.

Auguri to the Palermo Street Food Team and all the Street Food Producers in Palermo!

The Guides at Palermo Street Food know Exactly the Place to Take You

Ehh! Check us out in European Travel Magazine! 

"It’s the Palermitano version of Fish & Chips, and in poor times a cheap source of proteins and carbohydrates, thanks to the chickpea flour. These golden nuggets can be bought anywhere in Palermo, but the guys at Palermo Street Food will show you the best place to taste them. It’s only 2€ for a paper cone with 5 panelle and 5 crocchè and will qualify for lunch.

"Very rich and highly addictive, you may have tasted these confections (cannoli) before – but you’ve never had them better than in Sicily! You can buy them everywhere, but the guides at Palermo Street Food know exactly the place to take you. This is where the locals go themselves, and that’s always a seal of approval for you!"

Read the full article, here. 

Street food is King in Palermo

From our friend Kelly McGlinchey after her Palermo Street Food Tour.

"Breakfast this morning - a "triplo" sandwich with fried chickpea, potato and eggplant for only 1.50 Euro. Street food is king in Palermo, ranked number 5 in the world for this cuisine category. The five rules of Palermo street food, as told by @palermostreetfood, are as follows: 1. It must use local ingredients. 2. It must have historical significance. 3. It must be cheap. 4. It must be soft (a nod to when the poor of Palermo lacked teeth) and 5. It must use five ingredients or less. "

You can get more travel inspiration for Palermo by checking out momondo’s Palermo Guide.

From Brooklyn to Palermo, a Chat with The Cheeky Chef

Presenting, Linda Sarris, aka the Cheeky Chef!

We first met Linda circa Festa di Santa Rosalia 2013 and we've been eating and drinking amazing things with her ever since.  After a long stint back in Brooklyn, NY, Cheeky is back in La Conca d'Oro!

We just sat down and chatted with Linda about being back in Palermo.

Palermo Street Food (PSF): So, Linda Linduccia, you just moved back to Palermo from Brooklyn, something you have been planning for a long time now. You have traveled to so many places in the world, what keeps you coming back to Palermo?

Linda Sarris (LS): Palermo is the best city. Ever. Next question ...  Just, kidding, I'll answer.  Settling here was an obvious choice for me. Palermo has always been a place where I could escape. Days here are filled with adventures in the food markets, late night street food, meeting friends, really cheap drinks. I love being here and soaking up the energy of this place. I feel here in Palermo the same way foreigners feel an electric energy when they visit New York.

PSF: Ok, so what was the first thing you ate the other day when you arrived in Palermo?

LS: Every time I arrive in Palermo I go straight to the Mercato del Capo food market behind Teatro Massimo. I visit the same fishmonger and buy a small box of fish meatballs from him. They are made with swordfish, parsley, and currants. I could live off of those things. Perfectly fried polpette with the combination of sweet and savory that you find in a lot of dishes here. The fishmonger definitely remembers me, but we are not exactly friends yet. I'm working on it. I told him the story that this is my first stop every time I come back to Palermo and he loved it!

PSF: As a chef I am sure your cooking must change here in Palermo. Which ingredient are you currently obsessed with cooking?

LS: I am a chef who has always focused on fresh seafood and coastal flavors so you can imagine how crazy I go here with the fish selection. When it comes to cooking in Sicily, I always go for the things that I cannot find at home. Tenerumi, or squash runner greens, long zucchini the size of baseball bats, little red mullet fish called triglie, and wild fennel whenever I can find it.

PSF: Where is your go to place for grocery shopping in Palermo?

LS: I found an apartment in Centro Storico because I do not have a car and I like when I can just walk everywhere I want to go, like in New York where hardly anyone has cars. One of my favorite things about being here is having your special "pushers" that you can become a regular customer with. I am scouring the food markets now since I'm new in town to make sure I pick the right fishmonger and the vegetable stand guys. In a supermarket or bakery it is not such a big deal, but in a public market the loyalty is very important here. As a Chef visiting Palermo, the outdoor food markets are a dream come true. I actually like visiting them all and since they are so close together, it's not crazy to buy fish in Capo and vegetables in Ballarò. There are a few men in Vucciria that I visit only to buy salted sardines, homemade bottarga, or fresh tuna.

PSF: I remember when you took the Palermo Street Food tour a few years ago, we spent a lot of that night hanging out and drinking lots of grillo in Vucciria. Do you still hang out in Vucciria at night?

LS: I actually don't like going into Vucciria that much anymore. The small square is a market in the morning and the piazza turns into a great place to hang out at night drinking beers outside and sampling street food. Maybe I am getting old, but I think the crowd has changed over the last 3 years and there are much younger "ragazzi" hanging out and it's a bit too crowded for me. Maybe weeknights are better but on the weekend it is madness. There are still the same guys, since forever, making food in La Vucciria, which I love. The boiled octopus, grilled sausages and stigghiole, mangia e bevi (scallions wrapped in pancetta) and the fried panelle is always a good idea.

PSF: Where do you like to go now to just have a drink and chill?

LS: There is a nice bar on Via Maqueda near the Quattro Canti called Bistrot Bisso. It's really central and perfect for lunch or an aperitivo. I always loved Bar Garibaldi and there is another place Colletti that makes good cocktails. For a coffee and cake, I like Cioccolateria Lorenzo in Piazza Marina. Cana Enoteca is a nice place to hideaway with a glass of wine on Via Alloro.

Cioccolateria Lorenzo,

one of The Cheeky Chef's favorite working cafe spots in Palermo. 

PSF: You have lived in both the countryside and city in Sicily. The first time we met you was at Case Vecchie! You were in full campagnola mode, apprenticing with your mentor Fabrizia Lanza. Do you miss it sometimes? Sicilian countryside farmer life?

LS: Yes of course! I actually go quite often. I have been in Palermo for about a month and have already spent time in Sambuca di Sicilia, Regaleali where the Tasca d'Almerita family has their winery and cooking school, and also Camporeale. With my life as a freelancer, I have flexibility to write and work from anywhere. That was part of the main plan for my move here. I am cooking less for work but enjoying it more when I can actually cook for friends. I am writing a small guide book on my own for tourists coming to Sicily, I am developing a travel program for an agency in Rome, and helping out with a few other food/wine projects with friends here. It's important to get a nice mix of city and countryside. Sicily has it all and even in January it's beautiful to sit by the seaside.

PSF: Where is your favorite place to go from Palermo for a day trip by train?

LS: Train travel here is tricky. I prefer to rent a car which is actually VERY cheap. I mean this month, since it is winter, I have found car rentals for between 6-10 euros per day.

PSF: Where do you like to go if you just go for a Sunday drive from Palermo?

LS: I love Mondello the beach town outside of Palermo and you can get there on the public bus. For a longer trip, Scopello is great in the summer or San Vito lo Capo and the Riserva dello Zingaro are top!  Also the ferry to the island of Ustica is a wonderful day trip in summer from Palermo. You can go there and back just for the day.

PSF: You are in the process on perfecting your Italian and Sicilian!

LS: I love the challenge of spending time in a place that forces me to speak another language. It's amazing how fast you start to pick it up when you have no other choice.

PSF: What's the Sicilian word you use most often?

LS: Amunì! Which means, Andiamo. Which means, let's get a move on people!

PSF: What's new that's badass? Can you share one of your upcoming Sicily projects you are working on?

LS: Yes! Two things. First, I am working on a top-secret bread baking workshop with the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School. We are inviting bakers from all over the world to come for a collaborative week this fall to experiment with local flours. 

PSF: Hot. Second?

LS: I am leading a week-long trip this May with the Di Giovanna Organic Winery in Sambuca di Sicilia where we will bring guests on adventures through the western side of the island. We want to give tourists a real "Life in Sicily" experience by organizing winery visits, cooking lessons, trips to see how ricotta is made and visit the sea salt pans near Marsala.

PSF: But what about the street food in Palermo!?!?

LS: Tranquillo!! That will be the next trip. 

PSF: Final thoughts?

LS: Yes, check this out, I'm learning to slow down my walking because I'm so obviously a New Yorker sometimes. Sicilians take their time. Everything is on a slower pace.

PS: Meglio così!

LS: In fatti! 

Known best as The Cheeky Chef, Linda Sarris splits her time between cooking for female CEOs in New York City and working as a food/travel consultant based in Palermo, Italy. She's the founder of the project SNACK Sicily. You can visit her website, here. You can also follow her on Instagram, here. 

Palermo Christmas

Best Wishes from Christmas in Palermo.

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