If you were asked to name a country or location associated with couscous, what would you choose?
Morocco, the place of its origin? The Middle East? Spain? France? Italy?
All would be good choices. But there is one place I have in mind, because of the beginning of the 23rd Couscous Fest, this 18-September. It is Sicily.
I find history fascinating because of its influence on culture. And Sicily is a great example of this. Its location, between the Italian Peninsula and North Africa, is a big reason for this. The Greeks had outposts there. It was in the middle of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Greece. The Arabs found their way there at one point.
All of this history influences culture, and cuisine. Take the Sicilian dish, Couscous alla Trapanese, for example. The couscous is made with a fish stock, with additional stock served at the table; it is topped with a tomato-based sauce that includes whatever seafood is available. The sauce might include saffron (believed to originate in Greece), or cinnamon (brought by the Arabs). Yet it is uniquely Sicilian, surrounded by the sea and with an Italian penchant for tomatoes.
One event caught my eye. It will feature four migrant chefs. Sicily has been in the middle of routes taken by refugees, fleeing the Middle East and Africa. This festival is a celebration of diversity, inclusion, and cultural integration. And this event captures the essence beautifully. The chefs are invited to incorporate traditions from their homelands and childhoods, while adding elements of the Mediterranean and Italian influence. I can only imagine the aromas and flavors that will come from those dishes.
Of course, Sicily also has an important wine tradition. Currently the 3rd largest producing region in Italy, it is known for Nero d’Avola, a red wine that can range from medium to full body. Its white wines are also wonderful accompaniments to the seafood you would find in Sicily. Unoaked, crisp, bright, complex, and sometimes tasting of the soil in which the grapes are grown.
I prepared Couscous alla Trapanese and enjoyed it this past weekend, with a glass of Catarratto from Centopassi. A great example of Sicilian white wine, this particular wine was recognized by Gambero Rosso, a food/wine/travel publication in Italy, with its coveted “Tre Bicchieri” (3 glasses) designation, the highest level of quality. Only 457 wines in Italy were recognized this way, out of something on the order of 100,000 wines. Catarratto is an indigenous and important grape in Sicily; Centopassi’s example has the complexity of wildflower aromas, bright citrus and apple, slight baked bread, and stoney earth, with characters that are intense and accessible.
The Couscous festival resonated with me because the #1 value for Wide Roots is to celebrate diversity and inclusion. This festival ties that together with great food and wine, and friendship.
Watch my video discussing the festival, and my homemade example of Couscous alla Trapanese: