While Stanley Tucci comes “searching for Italy”, you and everyone else come looking for some of its most famous delicacies. But before you elbow your way off that just landed plane in Rome and dive, taste buds first, into a plate of pasta bolognese, a heap of bufalo mozzarella, a bowl of “pesto” anything or for the love of GOD – before you bite into that cannoli – FIRST read this!
WHY? Because food in Italy is regional and you need to know a little bit about the historic influence and a lot about the geographic influence in order to insure you’re getting the best, most authentic flavors of Italy.
Let’s go back to 1861 when Italy was unified; an important timeframe for Italian history. Prior to its unification, Italy consisted of various different nations which have become known today as its 20 different “regions”. Different, not only geographically from the mountains of the north, the volcanoes and beaches of the south and to the islands of the Mediterranean, but also economically, socially, historically, politically, demographically and culturally in terms of language, cuisine, art, music, customs, religion and lifestyle. And that means FOOD. Still today cuisine, lifestyle and local language (or dialects) are preserved among communities of the different regions in Italy and thus, such cultural ”isms” are engrained in the Italian way of life as we experience it today.
Most notably in its regional cuisine.
As a visitor of Italy, you may or may not notice such subtle nuances when relating to Italians in the different regions. But if you are acute, you will most certainly notice the differences around the cuisines like; risotto in Milan, truffles in Piedmont, wild boar and chianti in Tuscany, carbonara in Rome, pizza in Naples, mozzarella and tomatoes in Campagna, spicy sausage in Calabria and arancini in Sicily, just to name a few.
So, before you indulge in that cannoli while in Rome, it’s important to note that the cannolo (singular version, while cannoli technically in italian is more than one cannolo) hails from the beautiful island of Sicily dating back centuries, rich in history and culture.
Does that mean you should only eat a cannoli while in Sicily? Not all of us are fortunate enough to have Sicily on our itinerary. So in short – not necessarily. There are some real authentic places to find great cannoli sprinkled around Rome and throughout mainland Italy, but it also means your potential room for error is very high. Well, “stick with me kid!”
Here are a couple things to look for in order to spot an authentic cannoli when not in Sicily:
- SICILIANO. Look for the word SICILIA or SICILIANO, or some derivative in the name of the eatery. In other words, don’t just stop at a random bar displaying a cannoli in the window.
- SYMBOLS. Look for classic Sicilian symbols such as colorful ceramics, candied fruits and pastries, anything with pistachio (yes, the pistacchio di Bronte is Sicilian) and the famous three legged medusa, known as the Trinacria symbolizing the three capes of the island forming a triangle.
- ASSEMBLAGE. Look for a place that assembles the cannoli on the spot when you order. A pre-assembled cannoli will get soggy overtime while sitting which will take away from the crispy characteristic of the shell.
- PECORA. The word for sheep in Italian. The flavorful ricotta filling should be made from sheep’s ricotta rather than cow, ensuring its strength in flavor which holds its own against the sweetness of sugar and hereby giving it a signature taste.
- DUNKED. The open edges of your cannoli are oftentimes dunked in your choosing of chocolate chips or shavings and/or crushed pistachio, hazelnut or almond.
To plan a trip to the beautiful island of Sicily to taste the real cannoli and other famous Sicilian specialties, get in touch with me! I will help you plan your daily itinerary for an unforgettable vacation and as an Italian food & wine specialist, I will remind you which cuisines to enjoy along your journey in order to ensure you get the most authentic dining experience that this mecca of fine food, that is Italy, has to offer.
Marlo Di Crasto is a custom Italian vacation planner, dual citizen US/Italy, Italian food & wine expert and actress. www.livelaughloverome.com
Photo credit: Arà è Siclia, Via degli Alfani, Firenze
