Trapani, Sicily
The couscous of Trapani is the most direct Mediterranean connection between North Africa and Sicily: semolina hand-rolled into couscous pellets (incocciatura), steamed over a fish broth in a couscoussiera (a purpose-built terracotta steamer), then served with a dense, saffron-tinted brodetto of mixed Mediterranean fish (scorfano, merluzzo, palombo). The incocciatura technique — rubbing semolina and water between the palms in a circular motion — takes hours and produces a more irregular, more flavourful couscous than commercial.
Hand-rolled semolina steamed in fish vapour, soaking the brodetto's saffron-golden broth — Sicily's Arab culinary heritage at its most direct and magnificent
{"Incocciatura: semolina in a terracotta dish, a few drops of salted water added at a time; rub in circular motion to form pellets","Rest the couscous 1 hour before steaming to allow the pellets to dry slightly","Steam over the fish brodetto in the couscoussiera sealed with a flour-water paste to prevent steam escape","45 minutes steaming; remove and work with olive oil and more salted water to separate the pellets","Return to steam 30 more minutes; the total steaming must be 75 minutes for full cook-through"}
{"The annual San Vito Lo Capo Couscous Festival (September) is the world's largest couscous competition — Trapanese style","Some Trapanese families add a pinch of cinnamon to the semolina — the Arab heritage in a single spice","The couscoussiera can be improvised with a colander set over a deep pot, sealed with cloth"}
{"Commercial couscous — the texture is completely different; Trapanese couscous has a rougher, more irregular texture","Insufficient sealing of the couscoussiera — the steam escapes and the couscous dries unevenly","Serving broth separately — the couscous and brodetto should be brought together at the table"}
Cucina Siciliana — Pino Correnti