Pasta 'ncasciata is a celebratory baked
pasta dish originating from
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
,
Sicily, but today there are many versions from every province of Sicily as well as
Calabria
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in
Southern Italy
Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half.
The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
. Ingredients vary according to the region as well as personal preferences. For example, while the dish usually utilizes two types of cheese,
besciamella may be used in lieu of one of the cheeses. It was traditionally baked in a dish placed over, as well as covered by, hot coals. The dish was made more well known by Andrea Camillieri’s
Inspector Montalbano (TV series).
Variants
Messina
The version from
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
is one of the most common, and is generally made with
maccheroni
Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines ...
pasta,
ragù, fried eggplant,
caciocavallo (''casciucavaddu'' in the Sicilian language),
pecorino siciliano, white wine, basil and often additional ingredients like
soppressata
Soppressata is an Italian dry salami. Although there are many variations, two principal types are made: a cured dry sausage typical of Basilicata, Apulia, and Calabria, and a very different uncured salame, made in Tuscany and Liguria.
It ...
, meatballs, salami, boiled eggs, peas and breadcrumbs.
Ragusa
The version from
Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to:
Places Croatia
* the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa
* Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...
contains peas, crumbled sausage, and ricotta cheese.
Palermo
The version from
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
substitutes
tomato sauce for
ragù.
Enna
The
Enna version is the most different from the others as it does not utilize
ragù, eggplant, or
caciocavallo (''casciucavaddu'' in the Sicilian language). Instead it utilizes cauliflower,
pecorino siciliano, sausage, and other ingredients.
Syracuse
The
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
version is most similar to the versions from neighboring provinces of
Ragusa Ragusa is the historical name of Dubrovnik. It may also refer to:
Places Croatia
* the Republic of Ragusa (or Republic of Dubrovnik), the maritime city-state of Ragusa
* Cavtat (historically ' in Italian), a town in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Cro ...
and
Enna as it omits the
ragù, eggplant, and
caciocavallo as well but instead utilizes ricotta,
pecorino siciliano, cauliflower, and eggs poured over the dish before baking.
Caltanisetta
In
Gela in the province of
Caltanisetta
Caltanissetta (; scn, Nissa or ) is a ''comune'' in the central interior of Sicily, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Caltanissetta. Its inhabitants are called ''Nisseni''.
In 2017, the city had a population of 62,797. It is the 14th l ...
, cauliflower is also sometimes used instead of eggplants, and anchovies are sometimes added.
Calabria
The version from
Calabria
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, population_blank1 =
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, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographics1_title1 =
, demographics1_info1 =
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is most similar to the
Messina
Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 inhabitants in ...
version made with
maccheroni
Macaroni (, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes.Oxford DictionaryMacaroni/ref> Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines ...
pasta,
ragù, meatballs, boiled eggs, fried eggplant,
caciocavallo (''casciucavaddu'' in the Sicilian language) or
provola silana,
pecorino siciliano, and often additional ingredients like
soppressata
Soppressata is an Italian dry salami. Although there are many variations, two principal types are made: a cured dry sausage typical of Basilicata, Apulia, and Calabria, and a very different uncured salame, made in Tuscany and Liguria.
It ...
, meatballs, salami, boiled eggs and breadcrumbs.
See also
*
List of Sicilian dishes
*
List of pasta dishes
References
Cuisine of Sicily
Cuisine of Messina
Palermitan cuisine
Cuisine of Calabria
Cuisine of Ragusa
Cuisine of Enna
Pasta dishes
{{Food-stub