[Sca-cooks] The Sicilian story?

[Suey]

Someone said recently that her spouse is Sicilian. Santi, my son, just 
was at a very special wedding for us and of course we are on skype for 
hours at a time to procure every detail from him as he is a gourmet cook 
and was the only family member who could attend as best man.  After Air 
Italia canceled their flights, lost their luggage and dress for the 
wedding, a two hour hairy bus ride through the mountains etc they 
arrived at a precious a church and finally the priest forgot his words. 
The quest were left wondering if this wedding would never take place but 
finally the started gushing out flowingly. -  Sicilians are the first 
melting pot of the world for all the invasions and conquests the island 
has in history!  Until the groom said, I Hannah will take you as my 
wedded wife. (Fortunately, my son was able to remind him that his 
Damien. His wife is Hannah!
    I howled but asked why the priest forgot to say cuisine. Santi 
retaliated, the chef at the reception decided to make as many dishes as 
he could for the guests to try the most typical of Sicilian. He cooked 
and cooked. He served so much that when Santi thought another morsel 
could pass through his throat a delicious sword fish appeared and then 
an entire boar on a spit was displayed, carved and served. They 
continued to stuff themselves. Then a pastry chef entered the hall and 
made turron on the spot to serve to all.
    I am fascinated. When preparing the Expo in Seville Sicilians came 
to Toledo concerning Sicilian art work stolen during the Spanish 
occupation as my dear friend Sir John Elliot points out during Philip 
IVs reign in particular and I happened have had the privilege to be the 
interpreter for the Spanish authorities because the Sicilians wanted to 
barrow works from the Duchess of Medina Sidona's collection. (Great 
lesson on how Sicilian art influenced Spain by the way.) I suppose 
that's when I got interested in Sicily but in cooking never really look 
at their influence. I comb Nola daily in Catalan and Castellan. I often 
wonder as he worked for Ferran, King Naples and Sicily, the bastard son 
of the Alfonso V of Aragon in the 15th Century how Sicily influenced 
Nola's recipes and our Spanish recipes as a whole as opposed to my work 
on how Sent Sovi and Hispano Arabs influenced Nola.
    What do you think?
Suey