The Province of Agrigento 

 

 

 

The province of Agrigento encompasses a large area and is one of the richest places in the world for archeological treasures. La Valle dei Tempi, Temples’ Valley is a territory south of Agrigento, gently sloping towards the sea where many temples and other monuments stand to testify of the art, civilization and love the Greeks had for this land, they called Magnificent Greece.
Called by the Greeks Akragas for the nearby homonym river, it was changed by the Romans in Agrigentum (land of farmers), by the Saracen in Karkint, by the Byzantines in Girgentum and lastly by Mussolini in Agrigento.
The city of Agrigento has circa 60,000 inhabitants and it is a center of trade for the province.

Porto Empedocle Vigata, a port city on the coast of the Strait of Sicily is the center of trade for the province.
The provinces of Agrigento, most important economic resources are commercial fishing, agriculture and tourism.
This province gave to the world a genius Empedocles, born in Porto Empedocle and Luigi Pirandello a Nobel price for literature; another son of this province is the internationally acclaimed writer Andrea Camilleri.

The culinary landscape is rich, diverse and tasteful as well as prosperous and varied the products of the region.
The baked bread dough stuffed with olives and scallions are called ‘nmiscati, whereas the “mignulati” are stuffed with sausage meat and cheese.

Cuddiruna is a rectangular focaccia stuffed with fried onions, tomatoes, sliced boiled potatoes, anchovies, herbs and cheese. The “cuddiruna in bianco”, a “white” version is made using cauliflower instead of tomato. Each family makes variations adding meat, fish or vegetables.
Tianu d’Aragona is a specialty of baked rigatoni with meat sauce, ricotta, peas, eggs and cheese.
Cavatelli col sugo e melenzane are semolina gnocchi in tomato sauce and fried eggplants.

Maccu con finocchio has the consistency of polenta and is made with well cooked and pureed fava beans and wild fennel.

Pesce all ghiotta are assorted fish cooked in a very light tomato sauce with capers, olives, garlic and herbs
Pesce incanalatu is a classic dish cooked in this province: fish are stuffed with herbs, laid in a terracotta Spanish tile and cooked on an open fire and covered with burning charcoals.

The popular Sicilian sweets are exceptionally well made. The delicious local ricotta used for the cannoli and cassata makes mouth-watering desserts. Almonds grown in the area are utilized and combined to produce an assortment of cookies and pastries.
Cacateddi are short pastry cookies filled with figs cooked in wine enriched with sugar, almonds, orange peel, raisins, cinnamon, cloves and grounded black pepper. They are traditionally homemade for Christmas, but can be found in most pastry shops all year. Other specialties are the must wine mostaccioli cookies and the “rami di miele” which are made with honey.