Muslim Italy

[halalsushi]

"Dry macaroni is suitable for storing, trading, and transporting. The invention of the bronze press industrialized the manufacturing of pasta, making macaroni affordable. Present in Sicily since Arab occupation, macaroni became extremely popular in Naples in the 1700s. It is from there that dry pasta started its journey to conquer the world. Sicilian history is fascinating for all the different people that occupied the island during different times. The greatest influence was left by the Muslim occupation that lasted for two centuries. Muslims contributed greatly to Western cuisine with a variety of foods: rice, spinach, alcohol, oranges, lemons, apricots, sugar and more. And in Sicily their influence is still greatly felt today."

http://www.annamariavolpi.com/what_is_italian_cooking.html

If you have any more information on the Islamic influence on Italian cuisine, please feel free to share it. Thanks!

[albiston]

halalsushi,

you might want to have a look at this thread on the Middle East and Africa board. I think you'll find quite a bit of information there.

[Kevin72]

Doesn't the famous Southern Italian "sweet tooth" come from the Moors?

[divina]

Cous cous,there is a festival in San Vito a Capo every year, sharbet./granita, marzapan.. .

[chefzadi]

couscous festival

The participants are limited to certain countries. I say France should be included. It is the most popular dish over there and certainly has a huge North African (largely Algerian) population.

I really want to enter...BUT

[halalsushi]

Albison, thanks for the link to that thread. I'm going to check it out. :)

[emsny]

I cannot find the actual book at the moment - my bookshelves are in great disorder - but here is a very good book on Sicilian cooking based on the premise that that cuisine is firmly rooted in Arab foodways: Clifford Wright, "Cucina Paradiso: The Heavenly Food of Sicily".

[Hector]

I think that Arab and moslem cooking has had more influences in Italy than just in Sicilia, Remember that Sardegna (& Corsica) and up to as far north as the tuscan island of Elba was conquered by "the Moors". The Tuscans was one of the pioneers of ice cream making, which gives you at least a hint that there's an arab influence in Tuscan cooking. Probably it spread from Corsica or Elba.

Edited May 14, 2005 by Hector (log)

[chefzadi]

I cannot find the actual book at the moment - my bookshelves are in great disorder - but here is a very good book on Sicilian cooking based on the premise that that cuisine is firmly rooted in Arab foodways: Clifford Wright, "Cucina Paradiso: The Heavenly Food of Sicily".

←

In this thread the author himself Clifford Wright discusses some of the points in the book with yours truly.

[Ore]

There are a lot of kebab shops all over Italy as well...don't forget that todays time is just as important as the past...and there are plenty of Arabic restaurants in the larger cities of Italy...you never know what may turn into history!

[chefzadi]

Ore's point reminds me that Sicilians contributed to modern Algerian cooking. They came as settlers during the French colonial period. Traditional Algerian tomato sauces for pasta were usually slow simmered, sometimes with spices. But the Sicilians introduced quick cooked, fresh tomato sauces. And for some reason before the Sicilians came we used basil more for teas than in cooking.