Gluten free in Sicily: an itinerary

A gluten free itinerary along the East coast of Sicily. Where and what to eat in Catania, Taormina, Ortigia and Noto tasting some typical Sicilian food safely for coeliacs.

At the beginning of August we’ve gone to Sicily to see some friends who moved to Augusta. We knew that they would have guided us in a tour of their place and obviously made us taste some typical products. What we didn’t know was that, in reality, it would have been a real culinary tour with steps to check off. Obviously, they knew about my celiac disease, but it wasn’t a problem at all. So, here what they suggested (just the fundamental, eh) in those three days spent with them.

Leggi in italiano

CATANIA

Walking in the centre of Catania in August  can be a tough task if above your head there’s the summer sun and almost 40°C. Fortunately, in the squares of the town you can find some little kiosks, which seemed to me quite vintage and offer  refreshing typical Sicilian beverages. Here you can have a break from wandering, visiting and buying souvenirs to cool yourself with almond milk, tamarind or Seltz. I’d never tasted it and, being very appreciated by the people of Catania, I tried a Seltz, a frizzy beverage based on water, lemon juice and salt. The description doesn’t motivate to taste it, but it wasn’t bad at all. Surely, it’s a good digestive and in effect it quenches and gives a bit of relief from the sweltering summer.

TAORMINA

When I left, my culinary target was a cannoli. Since I’ve discovered to have celiac disease, I hadn’t the opportunity to taste a good cannoli as it happened in the past. So, this time I was determined to find my “treasure” and not to come back home until I had found and eaten one. The research didn’t last much; actually, in Taormina I found two of the typical Sicilian specialities: the eargely-awaited cannoli and an arancino (rice croquette). The place that made my happiness was Licchio’s Bar, where they offer salty and sweet food, from pizza to slush in the centre of Taormina, in Largo Santa Caterina. A really cozy and welcoming place that is placed in the network of eating out of house of AIC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia – the Italian association for celiac disease). We sat outdoors and the staff, with exquisite kindness, showed us all the gluten free options. I had the idea of eating just a cannoli, but how could I say no to an arancino that said: “Please, eat me!”?

What can I say? It’s been a party for the eye and the palate. The fact that the products were gluten free didn’t vitiate their taste at all as unfortunately I had found in the past. Not here! Both the arancino and the cannoli were delicious and tasty. Licchio’s Bar is one of those place where you are satisfied when you go away and, I admit, you have a sort of gratitude for having realized your wish.

www.licchios.it

ORTIGIA

Another fundamental culinary step  when you’re in Sicily is the breakfast with slush and brioche. It may seem an odd union, but you must trust Sicilian food expertise. Besides, Sicily boasts one of the most delicious cooking of Italy.

A hot (even too much) morning of August we were in Ortigia, in front of its wonderful cathedral sat at a little table of the Gran Caffè del Duomo, also this one in the network of eating out of house of the AIC. I must make a premise: as most Italians, I’m used to find slushes with limited flavours and, except for the lemon one, the flavours are given by syrup, as for example the mint one. In Sicily this would be blasphemy, a culinary abomination. Here slushes are made with actual fruit and if you order an almond slush, you can be sure that you’ll find almond pieces inside! And it’s spectacular, obviously! But let’s back to the breakfast: an almond slush and a brioche for me. The brioche is served at a warm temperature and the right way to eat it is to take a piece of it at a time (starting from the top) and to dip it in the slush, then you pick it with a teaspoon and eat this sloppy and delicious bite. For me it’s more a lunch than a breakfast, but in reality I noticed that there’s not a precise time for a slush with a brioche. So to speak, it’s always the right moment for a slush with a brioche!

www.grancaffedelduomo.com

NOTO

What would be a culinary tour of Sicily without a good fry? In Noto we ate one of the best fries ever eaten. In Corso Vittorio Emanuele there’s a little chip shop that offers only gluten free food. Here we are in the Putìa del Coppo for a fry-based dinner. In this place they fry exclusively with rice and corn flour  an when I asked,  just because of an excess of zeal, to confirm if everything was gluten free, they nicely answered: “Madam, here we don’t allow gluten to enter!” Besides, they are waiting for the certificate to enter the network  of eating out of house of the AIC. Can I ask for more? We took different things, so we could try a little of everything. Here we go out with some cones full of fried ricotta, panelle and fried fish. My friend who has lived in Sicily for some years and has eaten a lot of panelle said that these were the best. Actually, everything was more than just good with a light and crispy breading. Besides, the service was very fast.

A piece of advice: the fry in the cone was born as street food, so this place has just a few tables. I suggest to go there quite early, so you don’t have to wait much to order: the more the night goes ahead, the more the queue becomes longer.

There would be so much more to taste and this is just a little part of the culinary specialities that Sicily offers. What surprised me was the fact the in Sicily almost everyone is informed about celiac disease and organized in order to offer gluten free options to their clients and the quality is always quite high.

With this I end my culinary itinerary in Sicily wishing to have the possibility to come back to keep tasting the other delicious food of this land.