My wife's great-grandparents emigrated from Sicily in 1920 to a little town in New York called Oswego. By 1924, almost 4,000,000 Italians emigrated to the US before the Immigration Act of 1924 curbed immigration from Southern Europe, but Sicilian American descendants still make up nearly 1,000,000 people in the United States. You've probably heard of a few (Steve Buscemi, Frank Capra, Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Lucky Luciano. and a host of Jazz artists)
Last week, my wife and I, along with her father, some sisters, their husbands, etc. (Italians + Mormons + former Catholics = big families) took a trip to Sicily. In particular, we visited the island of Lipari which is part of the Aeolian Island chain north of Sicily. The Famularo side of the family tree came from this tiny island that has been populated since the Neolithic era, originally due to the abundance of obsidian glass. As part of our trip, we did the normal things that most tourists would do: swim in the Mediterranean, buy souvenirs and trinkets, eat good food, and take a tour of the island and churches. The other part that was decidedly less touristy was visiting a few cemeteries to see if we could find some of our relatives on the island.
It will take a little time to look at the family trees and see who was related and where, but it was a special evening to share with my wife's family, wandering the cemeteries of Lipari and finding those long gone connections to people of the past. Probably not the top of the list for tourists visiting foreign countries, but it was one of the quietest moments we had on our trip with a feeling of reverence and remembrance for the past. It's easy to read the history and forget that these were real people whose decisions and movements landed us where we are.
Italy is a wonderful place to visit. The food, the people, the sites...its all steeped in a rich and old history that makes the United States feel like an infant. One of the best ways to get to know a city or culture is to go on a food tour. Food shapes the way people live and feel. In many ways, food informs identity and culture and creates connections. Some of my strongest memories are tied to food and the accompanying conversations. This is what Italians get so right about food. It is historically rooted and seeps into their DNA as a people, reflecting where they came from and what their values are.
For instance, arancini (or, in Palermo, arancino which comes from the word arancio 'orange') is saffron rice with some meat, peas, fennel, carrot, and some other vegetables smashed together into a ball and fried. No tomatoes, which is the American version. Why no tomatoes? Because tomatoes didn't exist in Italy until the end of the 16th century. The entire dish originated from the Arab rule during the 10th century where large bowls of saffron-infused rice, meats, and vegetables were served at a table. Why fry them? To make them easier to transport and eat on the go for traders and families; thus, a Sicilian street food is born and still eaten today.
And what about stigghiola? This is a snack composed of veal or lamb intestine with some parsley and onion on top and grilled to chewy perfection (note: if you have texture issues this is not the food for you). Add a little lemon on top of the smoky flavor and you have a cheap but delicious snack. The name comes from the Latin word extilia (intestines) but the dish is probably Greek in origin. It was a "poor dish" for people who couldn't afford the higher quality meat and fish.
All of this to say--food is one of the best ways to experience a new city or country. And, if you feel like being a little weird, go wander through a cemetery and take some time to reflect. The pace of life always seems to move faster and faster, so these moments of good food, quiet reflection, and quality connections are so valuable to creating an enriching life.
Enjoy some field recordings I took while in Italy below.