This classic Sicilian cheese is known as a 'caciocavallo'. It is delicate, soft, sweet and a pale yellow colour if eaten young. A maturing period longer than six months gives the cheese a spicier flavour and a harder crust.

The 'stagionato' cheese is usually grated at the meal table. But many eat the slices cooked in olive oil, salt and pepper having been given a covering of whipped egg. Its called 'cascavaddu frittu cu l'uva'.

Ragusano DOP cheese is in fact made from, and only from, the full fat or 'intero' milk of the Modicana breed. They are reared in the Ragusa hinterland and the town of Modica in particular. The meat from the breed can also be found in numerous pasta dishes.

If you've ever wondered where they get the thousands of oranges from for the Carnival of Ivrea every February, then it's probably the provincia of Siracusa in Sicily.

The production of salami on Sicily originated around the 9th century thanks to colonization by the Norman invaders and more specifically the Count Ruggero d'Altavilla. Prior to this the consumption of pork products had been forbidden by the Muslim presence.

The name of origin "Salame Sant Angelo" is reserved exclusively for the product of the town of Comune di S. Angelo Di Brolo in the province of Messina and the trade mark can only be used by the members of the Consorzio Di Tutela.

Those three expanses of water surrounding Sicily; the Ionio, Tirennio and Mediterraneo seas offer probably the richest fishing grounds in Italy.

Most people attribute the cuisine of Palermo to the Moorish influence, But many dishes, which at first glance seem to have their origins in north Africa, were established long before or elsewhere.

I AM OF SICILIAN DESCENT AND MY GRANDMOTHER WORKED IN A FAMILY BAKERY IN CEFALU. THAT BAKERY IS STILL IN EXISTENCE. WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR IS A RECIPE FOR SOMETHING CALLED SFINGE. IT IS SIMILAR TO A ZEPPOLE.

Lava enriched soil is, of course, extremely fertile and an unusual gastronomic trip might take in a circular tour of all the 21 towns circling the volcano.

The Arabic culinary influence in Sicily may not be so apparent at first glance, but this is not the case for cous cous.

Along with rice and pasta, cous cous is one of the world's staple foods and is made from durum wheat bran skillfully ground into fine grains then steam cooked.

There is no better time or place to find out more about this pasta than the annual Cous Cous Fest in San Vito Lo Capo in the province of Trapani in the last week of September.

The full title of the events is 'The International Mediterranean Culture, Food and Wine Festival'.

If you are seeking the authentic taste of Sicly, then you could do worse than start with "The Ancient Art of Cooking" by Eleonora Consoli. We have quoted a couple of paragraphs here.

As you might expect the local cuisine of the island has been influenced by centuries of invasion. You could thank the Arab invaders for introducing a fondness for sweet dishes in Palermo as well as a host of now world famous Sicilian desserts and cakes.

Pachino may be more familiar to most of us as a type of tomato, but it is Italy's and Europe's most southern town, located in the province of Siracusa, Sicily.

It was founded in 1760 when Don Gaetano Starrabba, Prince of Giardinelli, obtained permission to build in the feudal zone of Scibini, then owned by Ferdinand IV, King of then Two Sicilies.

The first modern inhabitants came from Greece and later from Malta, but 'promontorium pachyni' was known to Homer and Virgilio and later as 'pachini portus' to the Romans.

The Aeolian cuisine from the famous Sicily islands north of Messina mainly originates from fishing traditions and ancient Greek influence.

'I Formaggi Storici Siciliani' is a handy guide to the historical cheeses of Sicily produced by the Consorzio Ricerca Filiera Lattiera Casearia (CRFLC).

It is an introduction to those classic cheeses of the island still produced the traditional way using old methods handed down from generation to generation. They are made from whole raw milk and biodiversity is the common thread.

In particular, the areas of production, the breeds reared, the animal feed, the milk quality, the natural microflora, natural rennet, traditional technology and ageing locations. These are natural environments with notable architectural and picturesque contexts, even caves.

In Capo Passero, province of Siracusa, the fishermen are the kindest in Sicily and tuna fishing in this most southern part of the island is perhaps the oldest in the world. At least 5 types of tuna pass through the zone and they are the fish returning from the Adriatic where they have deposited their eggs.

The Small Coffee Museum in Palermo, or 'Piccolo Museo del Caffe Morettino', is an interesting journey through the history of classic coffee, from the beans to the cup.

Although we rate the lemons of the Amalfi coast as the biggest and most lemony of them all, nine out of ten lemons produced in Italy actually come from Sicily. Indeed, in the Province of Messina the production of lemons even exceeds that of the more famous oranges.

Pistacchio nuts are just one of a number of products and dishes to be found in the island which were introduced or were heavily influenced by invaders from north Africa and the Near East.

Bronte is the town for the nuts, but also 'paste con sarde' at Palermo (sardines, raisins, pine nuts, over a saffron pasta), couscous (Marsala, Trapani) and sorbet ice creams (everywhere).

The pistacchio is called the 'oro verde della Sicilia' which means the green gold of Sicily, the production of pistacchio in Bronte has tripled since the Second World War. The best fruit are long with a hard reddish shell. The green seed or nut has a pleasant taste and is used in sweets, fillings and sauces.