One thing I was really looking forward to about visiting Catania was eating out. Traditionally, as a budget traveller, I usually stay in Airbnb’s where I have access to a kitchen. I make my food using local ingredients and save so much money doing this. This time, I was staying in a hotel, so tasting new foods in Catania was on the menu!
Horse Meat
First and foremost, I wanted to taste horse meat. Now this is quite a common thing to eat in Catania, one does not have to go out of their way….at all….to see cavallo on any menu.
My first evening, I found a small local restaurant called Sicilia Street Food, not too far from my hotel, and of course, there was horse on the menu. I was quite hungry so I ordered Polpette di cavallo, horse meatballs and fries.
Nervous, I took a taste and much to my surprise, it was delicious! Not gamey or tough at all, which I was thinking it might be. The meat tasted a little sour, perhaps it had been tenderized or marinated. The texture was soft and squishier than beef, not as chewy or substantial. Yum!! I gobbled up the rest with mustard and enjoyed the fries, something that I had not eaten in months!
Arancini
Just about every deli or café has arancini on the menu. These large balls of rice stuffed with various goodies are hot and delicious. The crispy crust combined with the soft rice is so pleasantly palatable. Traditional stuffing might be ragu or ham, cheese, butter etc. Today I ordered the one I would normally pick last, the Pistacchio and speck. Yes a rice ball stuffed with pistachio? And what the heck is speck?
I took my little warm ball and a small Coke Zero to Villa Bellini gardens, found a quiet place to sit in the shade and dug in. Delicious! The interior was green and creamy, and there was a cheese or sorts in the middle.
A friend came to visit part way through my impromptu lunch and we enjoyed each others company.
Cartocciata
I had no idea what this was but upon passing a little panetteria with a street window, I had to pause. Locals were lining with streets sitting on the dirty sidewalk and munching on delicious Sicilian street foods!
I had a look in the case and there were various closed sandwich looking things. Two older ladies deep in their napkins, were munching away and I hand gestured if what they were eating was good? They both nodded so I ordered what they had.
It is a cartocciata, similar to a calzone pizza but originating in Catania near Mt. Etna. Mine was stuffed with mozzarella and ham and a white cream. Oh my, I was not sure at first, but the more I ate the quicker it was consumed! Delicious!
Like in Calabria
Stopping at a funky little bar called Vermut on my last evening, I only wanted a small snack as I had leftovers from the market at the hotel. I ordered a ‘Like in Calabria’ (buffalo mozzarella, caramelized red onion and mint) along with a local cocktail. Served on a sheet of paper, this mouthwatering little snack hit the spot. Creamy fresh cheese, sweet onions and mint drizzled with olive oil is a beautiful combination.
My cocktail of choice, the Vermut Cobbler was red vermouth, lime, orange, brown sugar, mint, angostura bitters and ginger ale. A pretty concoction that was both thirst-quenching and delicious.
There is something about trying new foods, the courage it can take to let your mind relax enough to be open to the experience for one. I have been quite a boring eater, to my standards anyways. And especially careful when travelling as having an upset stomach has ruined many a day and can be scary when travelling alone. But being in Italy, especially Catania, I was open and delighted with what I found.
