Fish Couscous with Fregola Sarda

This week marks the 11th Anniversary of the Cous Cous Fest of San Vito Lo Capo in Sicily. It is known that couscous is a staple of North African cuisine, where it is usually served with rich tagines of meats mixed with various fruits and spices. However, it is also true that couscous has been eaten in other parts of Europe for more than 800 years, mainly in Sicily. And it was in fact through Sicily, and not through Southern Spain, as one would assume, that this grain product entered the European culinary repertoire.
Sicilian cuisine is as rich and multilayered as its history. Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and Normans, among others, have ruled this predominant Mediterranean island, leaving their mark in agricultural practices, cooking styles, and eating habits throughout the ages. Under Roman rule, Sicily, along with North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, formed the breadbasket of the empire. The fertility of Sicily and its famed wheat production is what lured the Romans to conquer the island, which supplied the wheat for the empire’s swelling population. It almost goes without saying that wheat, known as “Similia”, was a major agricultural staple, and its subsequent culinary preparations formed the base of the diet. The most common Roman wheat dish was “puls”, a basic wheat porridge, from which there were many variations.
In 902 the Arabs gained control of Sicily, and their rule left a lasting legacy on the food and culture of the largest island of the Mediterranean. The Arabs improved the irrigation technology and agricultural productivity of the island, and introduced the hard “naked” variety of durum wheat, which was much sturdier than the softer wheat varieties of the Romans. They also brought the craft of rolling couscous, which in Italian is known as “incocciata”. Rolling the wheat with water and salt into small balls, then drying them in the sun, as couscous is prepared, was a way of preserving the wheat for Winter and times of scarcity. This is the same for dried pasta, of which the preparation was a major contribution of the Arabs to the Mediterranean diet. In fact, Sicily became a major exporter in that era of dried pasta throughout the region.
Western Sicily is where one can see the most prominent vestiges of Arab dominion, though one can see the legacy of the 400-year rule throughout the whole island. Couscous probably made its way to the island in the 12th century, and has remained a culinary tradition to this day. While in western North Africa couscous is served with poultry, beef, fish, or vegetables in a variety of combinations including fruits and spices, in Sicily the preparation is with seafood only. The cuscusu is steamed twice in the fish broth, known as “la ghiotta”, and is not always served with the actual fish pieces. The final dish is then garnished with a strong herb pesto of garlic, parsley, olive oil, and lemon juice.
This week we join in the Cous Cous Fest of San Vito Lo Capo with a few recipes that play with cuscusu and its derivatives in a playful way. We are not seeking authenticity with our recipes, but rather we hope to share what we have learned about this cross-cultural grain and the magical island of Sicily through our preparations.