[Sca-cooks] Scappi vs. the Sicilians

[Christiane]

Message: 1
Date: Sat, 01 Nov 2003 16:40:37 -0500
From: Ariane H <phoenissa at netscape.net>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Arancini, deep-fried Sicilian goodness.
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Message-ID: <3FA42855.4030201 at netscape.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

I've had arancini before, they're excellent!  And check this out - I was 
just looking through Scappi (Venice, 1570) and found what looks like the 
period version (and sweet rather than savory) of this dish:
==============================================

Thank you for posting the Scappi recipe!

It's interesting to see that he had a rice fritter recipe. I think arancini would be perfectly period for a Sicilian feast, though! Someone had suggested to me off list that an interesting event would be a "Sicilian Vespers" fighting event (French vs. the Sicilians), and I've been posting specifically Sicilian recipes in the hope that folks may find them useful. Scappi published his recipes, but they are from a mainland Italian viewpoint, specifically Roman, and he was never exposed to the Sicilian kitchen traditions. There are virtually no Sicilian recipes printed from the medieval/Renaissance period, however, but there is a very long, very oral tradition, and the Siculo-Arab style of cooking varies greatly from that of mainland Italy. My grandmother did not consider herself to be Italian, as many Sicilians still do today. Cooks are now discovering recipes that families have known for generations, and are finally writing them down. Yes, it took 500 years to do it, but hey, better late than never.

The sweet-and-sour flavors of Sicilian dishes and the tradition of stuffed foods are the legacy of the Arabs, as are one-dish meals. The intensely sweet Sicilian dessert dishes also are their legacy. The Greeks left their legacy with the olive, the grape, and the caper. In the golden age of Sicily under the Normans, they hired Arab cooks for their kitchens, but introduce the concept of meats roasted on a spit. After the expulsion of the Muslims and Jews, especially under the Spanish Inquisition, pork gained status among the peasantry -- a pig to slaughter showed wealth and Christian conformity. My Aunt Marie still insists on making a pork roast every Christmas Day. It was just proper in their neighborhood. 

Anchovies and squid and octopus and tuna have always been part of Sicilian cooking. I would not serve any of these at the average feast, however, because of expense, allergies, and the general distaste most folks have for strong-flavored fish or things that look like Cthulu landed on their plate. I now enjoy octopus, but found it perfectly revolting as a child.

Gianotta