GASTRONOMY

THE RAGUSA CUISINE

The Sicilian cuisine owes much to centuries of exchanges and relationships with foreign civilizations. Richest in scents and ranging from salty to sweet, Ragusa’s traditional foods are as much genuine and tasty.

Among its most renowned specialties are the pastieri, pastries filled with minced meat and lamb entrails, then garnished with pepper, cheese and eggs; the impanate, pies stuffed with lamb or veal and baked potatoes; the scacce, savoury rolled-out pastries stuffed with various ingredients ranging from spinachs to ricotta or tomato, to broccoli, eggplants and many others. The pork-meat (coming in steak, sausage or jelly) is a most traditional food, notably in Chiaramonte Gulfi; coming from the skin, the feet or the head of the pork, it is always a favorite of meat lovers. The coniglio a partuisa (rabbit), the chickpeas with pork-meat, and the macco (a fava-bean soup) are also very popular.

The first courses include numerous renowned specialties such as the cavati, the ravioli di ricotta (both usually garnished with pork-meat sauce), and the lolli ‘cche favi (a type of pasta with fava-beans). The celebrated caciocavallo cheese, made with cow-milk, is especially produced in the mountainside. Vegetables are available all the year round thanks to the local developed houthouse cultivation.

Fish specialties are mainly typical of the coast, from Scoglitti to Pozzallo.

Modica is world-famous for its confectionery. Among its most popular sweets are the affucaparrinu (literally ‘choke-priest’), hard biscotti made with flour, eggs, a few sugar and lard; the nucatoli, soft biscotti stuffed with dried figs and marzipan fruit; almond sweets like the torrone, the amaretti and the characteristic ’mpanatigghi, containing almonds, chocolate, minced beef and spices; the popular ice-cream and the pignolata, a cake coated with sugar and chocolate.

Wine lovers may, finally, enjoy such renowned labels as the Cerasuolo di Vittoria, the Ambrato di Comiso and the Albanello.

Ragusa
Acate
Chiaramonte Gulfi
Comiso
Giarratana
Ispica
Modica
Monterosso Almo
Pozzallo
Santacroce Camerina
Scicli
Vittoria

Monti Iblei
Cava D'Ispica
Castello di Donnafugata Camarina
Casuzze
Cava d'Aliga
Donnalucata
Marina di Modica
Marina di Ragusa
Punta Secca
Punta Braccetto
Sampieri
Scoglitti