Sweet Sicily: Sugar and Spice, and All Things Nice

Sweet, intense, and colorful is how Sicilian pastries will appear to the fortunate eyes seeing them for the first time. Those who have time to get to know them well, however, will also find it sensual, dramatic, and irreverent.

Making pastries in Sicily is never a purely gastronomic issue; it may be a declaration of love, social ostentation of personal wealth, or a way of mocking a defeated enemy. It is a gesture that involves countless intentions, coded and described in stories rooted in the mists of time.

This anthology collects some of those stories and the most delicious Sicilian sweets, illustrated by poignant images and accompanied by some personal tips. The scents of childhood and cherished memories are bound together by one certainty: In Sicily, a sweet is never something that is just good to eat. It is a magical microcosm, an ancient tale, a legend that demands to be told.