'Salsiccia' ... the Great Sicilian Sausage

As you travel around Sicily whether it is via the stunning coastline or its interior mountain regions you will notice top quality fresh ingredients and dishes made from delicious recipes.

I love food, especially Mediterranean food, which makes Sicily the perfect place for me to live, Sicily is a foodie’s paradise.

One of my favourite things to eat and something I am addicted to is salsiccia, Sicilian sausage. 

If I had my way I would eat it every day and would probably end up looking like one.

When my “adopted” Sicilian big brother came to stay with us in London I worried about what I was going to cook a Sicilian every day, especially one that is a fantastic cook. One evening I decided on an English style sausage casserole. After serving the sausages on his plate he started to scrape the entire dish back into my casserole pot. 

“These are not sausages they are disgusting”. 

I agree with him in some way, but you cannot compare English sausages with Sicilian sausages.They are like chalk and cheese.

Sicilian sausages are thin and made from coarsely chopped pork and fennel seeds (I love the taste of fennel, it is pure Sicily).They were once described as al punto del coltello, hacked sausage, as the meat was painstakingly cut into little pieces.

In the street markets and butchers shops in Sicily they are sold skewered in continuous coils by weight and the best way to cook them is alla bracie, grilled on a barbeque. However they are also delicious fried.

In smaller villages in Sicily it is not unusual to see Sicilians standing in the butchers watching to ensure that their salsiccia is made to their favourite family secret recipe.

Often the meat is a combination of pork and veal whilst others might have a mixture of cheese, sundried tomatoes and white wine or just plain with parsley. The mixture should not be too fatty or too lean. So the best thing to do for a Sicilian is to watch the butcher make them to ensure you do not end up with an inferior recipe. Sicilians love their sausages.

In Eastern Sicily the sausages are usually produced from the black pigs of the Nebrodi mountains.

It will probably be unlikely that you will find Sicilian sausage on restaurant menus which is a shame, the best place to visit to taste salsiccia is at an agriturismo.

An agriturismo is primarily a farm which usually has a number of rooms or apartments available for guests. Guests can enjoy the tastes of local produce such as wines, local cheeses, bread, seasonal fruit and vegetables and typical local meat dishes all for a set price. Most often they are restored farmhouses located on quiet beautiful estates and are open to anyone who may want a traditional home style Sicilian meal. But be warned, wear loose clothing as there is usually many courses including grilled meats with salsiccia.

Alternatively if you are staying in a self-catering apartment or villa in Sicily you can find salsiccia in the butchers department of most supermarkets. Look for salsiccia tradizionale, these are the traditional ones with fennel seeds.

Most street food markets will have vendors selling salsiccia and they will grill it for you on the spot and serve in between pane, (bread).

When cooking yourself you can serve salsiccia with most side dishes such as Sicilian caponata or a salad, with lentils or the Sicilians enjoy it with wild greens grown in the mountains or try my way …. as breakfast with scrambled egg, my version of an Anglo/Sicilian breakfast!!!!!!!!

Email me for my recommendations for street food tours and agriturismi, there are some amazing family run agriturismi in the Alcantara Valley a short drive from Taormina and also on the slopes of Mount Etna. Why not combine with a visit to Mount Etna or Alcantara Gorge to walk off all those calories. 

My apologies for my lack of photographs in this post there is only so many photos one can take of a sausage and I dare not take a photo in my local butchers in case he thinks I am trying to steal his treasured recipe. (All photos are my own)

Buon appetito !!!!!!

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Love Sarah x