This Vibrant Island Offers Some Of The Best Food In All Of Italy, Per Rick Steves

From risotto, carpaccio, and tiramisu in the north to carbonara, pizza, and rigatoni in the country's heart and south, the Italian peninsula is home to one of the richest and most beloved culinary traditions in the world. Luckily for travelers, Italy's cuisine doesn't end at the tip of the boot. Across the narrow Strait of Messina is Sicily, a beautiful Mediterranean island known for being home to Europe's tallest active volcano, the incredible "White Lotus" villas, and for having one of the best beaches for city lovers.

Travel writer Rick Steves notes that while food is an art in Italy, it's a religion in Sicily. The diversity of Sicilian cuisine surprises even Steves, despite his thorough knowledge of the mainland's food and drink. Which leads to the question: how does an island roughly the size of Vermont have so many world-famous dishes?

The answer lies in Sicily's 2,500-year history of Greek, Roman, Arab, Norman, and Spanish rule. These cultures have each utilized the island's fertile land and imparted many culinary traditions to the area, from fruit and spices to couscous, marzipan, and Mamertino wine.

Sicily is the birthplace of some of the world's most widely eaten food. The origins of spaghetti are disputed, but some historians trace Italy's flair for the carbohydrate back to 12th-century Sicily, when an Arab geographer observed pasta being made. The island can't quite claim authority over the omnipresent carbohydrate 900 years later, but Sicily still has many savory dishes it does better than anywhere else.

Rick Steves recommends visiting the Ballarò Market. Here, vendors call out to you like auctioneers, following an age-old Arab tradition, and sell a delectable variety of goods including chickpea fritters, fluffy anchovy pizza, and the Sicilian-favorite arancine, which are deep-fried rice balls stuffed with meat sauce. 

Three hours southeast of Palermo, in the province of Ragusa, you'll find another unique street food called scaccia. A hybrid of lasagna, calzone, and flatbread, scaccia consists of thin, rolled dough filled with tomatoes, cheese, and pork. The result is a savory, Mediterranean strudel-type dish that balances dairy richness with salty deli meats. You'll find some of the best in the world at Rosticceria Antichi Sapori in Modica and La Buca in Rosolini.

Strong though Sicily's savory offerings may be, its sweets may be even better. Rick Steves describes Sicilian desserts as "distinctive and delicious" and he reserves special attention for cannoli, the island's famous cream-filled pastry that dates back to 9th century Palermo. Historians believe that cannoli derives from Arab qanawat, a similar sweet tube pastry that was popular during the Islamic Golden Age. Cannoli is made with pastry shells that were once baked around canna reed, which gave the dish its name. Today, cooks use metal cylinders rather than the reeds and follow a typical recipe of cocao, suet, and Marsala wine in the pastry and fresh ricotta with candied orange peel, chocolate, and finely chopped pistachios as a finishing touch.

West of Palermo is the village of Erice, home of the Genovesi pastry. The simple treat consists of dough — flour, sugar, butter, egg yolks — and a rich filling of custard or ricotta cream balanced with a hint of grated lemon zest. Several pastriccerias in Erice village prepare a warm, satisfying Genovesi.

You may not be in the mood for a warm pastry, though. Sicily is one of the hottest places in Europe, after all. That's why Steves recommends seltz e limone. The sweet, refreshing drink is a simple combination of fresh lemon juice and seltzer water. The travel expert also says that servers will ask if you want added salt. "Yes" is Steves' answer, because the salt, he claims, makes the drink extra refreshing.

Ready to plan that Italian vacation and try all this food? Steves also knows the best time to plan your next trip to Italy.