Sicily and the feast of San Martino

November 11, is the day when St. Martin is remembered, and like other religious celebrations, this day in Sicily is characterized by typical dishes and customs.

Saint Martin (San Martino), Bishop of Tours, lived around 300 AD. The name Martin was given to him by his father, an important officer in the army of the Roman Empire, in honour of Mars, the god of war. Martin followed in his father’s footsteps and, despite his young age, became a soldier. A period of militancy in the Roman army that changed his life completely. History has it that while he was in Amiens, a half-naked beggar appeared before him: he decided to cut off part of his cloak to share it with the man. Legend has it that thanks to that generous gesture, the cold and the snow that gripped that period, faded. In their place, the sun came out and from there the summer of San Martino started. That same night, Martin dreamt of Jesus, who gave him back half of the cloak he had shared, saying: “Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptized, he has clothed me”. The dream had a very strong impact on Martin, who decided to baptize himself, become a Christian and leave the army to become a monk.

In Sicily, the month of November is usually very rainy and cold (by Sicilian standards!), but usually there is a short period of time when good weather prevails (the famous Summer of San Martino, that we mentioned earlier). Always in the same period falls the “racking” period. It is said, therefore, “A San Martino ogni mustu è vinu”, “On St. Martin’s Day, every grape must is wine”. The proverb is linked to the custom of opening the first barrels of new wine during this day.

A San Martino ogni mustu è vinu!

Another saying of the period of San Martino is also “S’ammazza lu porcu e si sazza lu vinu” which is linked to a tradition present in some places in Sicily, where these days of November are expected to suppress the pig and make hams, salami, trotters and sausages to be sprinkled with new wine during cooking. Among the many traditions of Sicily, in Palermo the “San Martino dei poveri” (San Martino day for poor people)  was celebrated with the rite of San Martino cookie, a very dry and hard cookie soaked in Muscat, which in their version “for rich people” were instead softer and filled with ricotta cheese. Other typical dishes that are consumed on the 11th of November to celebrate San Martino are the muffuletta di San Martino, or the frittelle di San Martino, a classic Sicilian dessert: small fried cakes, similar to the sfince and zeppole that are generally prepared in different parts of Sicily, with small variations in the recipe!

Sicilian Food Culture