As a long-term traveller who is on a tight budget, I have been saving a lot of money, by cooking at home. I rarely eat in restaurants, but still wanting the Sicilian experience, I have been purchasing local foods and goods at the market and shops. Here is a little snippet of my budget friendly eating in Modica.
Grocery Haul
I have a general food store, fairly close to my apartment, thank goodness, as I am high up in the hills of Modica Alta. Here I can purchase things such as coffee, water, yogourt, canned goods etc. A regular little grocery store for sure.
My first haul to stock my kitchen were these items and the cost was €30 or $43 CAD. For that price I bought, a bottle of water, bottle of coke zero, packet of sliced cheese, coffee creamers, fresh mini meatballs, yogourt, butter, bananas, shampoo, conditioner, pancake mix, maple syrup, can of beer, candy, beans, crackers, eggs, salami and pastries. Pretty good I think.
I stop by this store almost daily to pick up water which is 0.23 cents for 1.5L and fizzy water for 0.46 cents. The staff are incredibly friendly, and we now all greet each other upon entry. 😊
Market Haul
Shopping at the local market that is not far from my abode, has been one of the best experiences of my time here in Italy. These ladies and gents have been so kind to me, making sure I don’t get looked over in the crush of people, and helping me choose the best produce.
Typically, this is what I come home with once a week. The cost was €9 or $13 CAD. All of the grapes & pears were €2, the two balls of fresh mozzarella were €3.50, the bread was €0.60 and the rest was €2.90. Dude. So incredibly inexpensive and the most flavourful food ever.
Brekkie
Breakfasts vary depending on what activity I have done that morning, so if I was climbing stairs on a ‘leg day’, then it is heavy with protein. These meals would consist of greek yogourt, protein granola, fruit and eggs. If I was on a long walk and passed by a new patisserie, the breakfast might consist of a cheeky pastry. And if it is a Sunday, it might even be pancakes! (I hadn’t had a pancake since leaving Mexico and jumped at the chance when I saw the mix AND syrup in the store).
Lunch
My all time favourite lunch here in Modica has consisted of amazing and beautiful fresh food from the street market. The norm might be a plate with fresh mozzarella, the most amazing tomatoes I have ever eaten in my life, fresh sweet basil, a boiled egg, a big juicy peach, a handful of Modican almonds and a piece of warm crusty break spread with alpine butter.
Dinner
I am addicted to these tiny dime size meatballs that I can find here in Modica. I have been making soup using these and adding beans or pasta. Sometimes, I will bring home a local Sicilian item, like this Chucce Fromaggio e Salciccia and have that with fruit. A lovely friend taught me about these squash plants that I had seen in abundance at the market. Upon his instruction, I made this for dinner and consumed it with fresh chewy bread and cheese. Delicious!
Another favourite has been a simple pasta dish with tomato sauce, meat and basil. Very basic, quick and easy.
I have been fortunate to be here during a time of year that has been incredibly bountiful. Perhaps it is always like this in Sicily, but I have truly been overwhelmed by the amount of amazing and delicious food that is at my fingertips here. And for an absolute fraction of the price, I would pay elsewhere.
How lucky am I to be able to feed my body this beautiful food every single day? Wow.
