The ancient fishing village of
San Vito Lo Capo, located between the
Gulf of Castlleammare and the city of
Tarapani on the northern coast of
Sicily,
Italy celebrates its annual
Cous Cous Festival each
September. Dedicated to exploring the culinary and cultural aspects of the tasty
Mediterranean dish the festival celebrates the cultural legacy of the Arabic peoples who ruled Sicily for more than 150 years.
Cous cous originally arrived in Sicily with the
Arabs from
Morocco and other areas of
Northern Africa who landed on the island in 827. By 903 they ruled all of Sicily and would continue to do so until the
Normans began their conquest of the island in 1060. Despite the change in rulers the cultural and culinary stamp of
Arabic culture would remain.
Cous cous is a very small granular
pasta, often eaten with
vegetables and
lamb. The most wonderful thing about Cous cous is its ability to carry the flavor of the sauce or other ingredients it is mixed with. Eaten with the hands, cous cous is a community meal, often served from a large round platter. Careful, though! There is a very serious etiquette to eating with your fingers. Another variety of cous cous,
Israeli cous cous, or by its Arabic name,
maftoul, is larger--almost pearl-size--nuttier-tasting than its familiar Moroccan counterpart.
San Vito Lo Capo's Cous Cous Festival's principal event is a cous cous cook-off with the best cous cous Chefs from
Israel,
Morocco,
Egypt,
France,
Algeria,
Tunisia and
Italy participating to determine who indeed is the
cappo of cous cous in the Mediterranean.
The cous cous festival focuses on more than just the delicious dish itself. The History of Sicily and San Vito Lo Capo is a smorgasbord of cultural identities from the
Greeks and
Romans who once ruled here to the later conquests of the
Arabs,
Spanish and
Italians.
The festival also includes four evenings of music, featuring free performances by
Sicilian and
African World Music artists
Nour Eddine,
Tinturia,
Enzo Avitabile and
Nni'lusinghi in the
Piazza Santuario in the heart of the ancient town.
San Vito Lo Capo Cous Cous Festival
From September 19 – 23
San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily, Italy
Tel. 091.6263080
www.sanvitocouscous.com
E-mail: info@sanvitocouscous.com