![]() While the sauce was not described as a pesto on the menu, that’s essentially what it was. I later learned that the wild fennel used in Sicily is quite different from the domesticated kind grown for its bulb, and that only the fronds are used. I was astounded at how much the liquorice flavour of the fennel really shone through from just the little green fronds, as I couldn’t find any pieces of the bulb itself in the pasta. ![]() The dish was topped with a red pesto made from nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and wild fennel fronds. Pasta fresca is almost always made with eggs, so it was a rare treat to find a vegan version, and to top it off it was made in the shape of trofie, one of my favourite pasta shapes. Soon after we ordered, we were treated to complimentary garlic bread and a lovely beetroot dip.Īs my main dish, I chose the pasta, which was actually pasta fresca (fresh, hand-made pasta, as opposed to pasta secca, the stuff in a box that you find in most supermarkets). Nevertheless, there were also several vegan dishes, including three soups, some salads, a pasta dish, a seitan steak and a chocolate and pear cake. The majority of the items on the menu at Le Comari contained dairy and eggs. I didn’t make it back to MOON during our short trip, so if you get the chance to eat there then please leave a comment and let me know how it was! Just a few steps away in Piazza San Giuseppe is Le Comari Inn, which is a cute and welcoming vegetarian restaurant and is where we decided to have our first dinner. This is quite a classy-looking place and even has a grand piano in one corner of the dining room, though the prices are still quite reasonable. ![]() The first one we came across was an all-vegan restaurant called MOON (which stands for “Move Ortigia Out of Normality”). While traditional Sicilian fare is already very vegan-friendly, there are actually a couple of vegetarian restaurants on the beautiful Baroque island of Ortygia – the heart of Siracusa – so we began our Sicilian adventure by heading for one of these. This pretty much sums it up:Īnd when you factor in the narrow cobblestone alleyways and Baroque architecture of Ortygia, plus the impressive ancient Roman ruins and caves nearby, Siracusa really has it all. Not surprisingly, these also kept showing up as ingredients in the dishes we ordered in local restaurants. During our travels around the area we passed through multiple citrus orchards, and indeed the most popular local products seemed to be lemons and oranges (especially Tarocco blood oranges), fennel, pumpkin and nuts of all kinds. The local market in Siracusa was just bursting with freshly-picked fruits and vegetables being sold at insanely cheap prices. I don’t even know how to begin to describe our wonderful weekend in Siracusa, Sicily.įrom the markets filled with fresh, local produce, to the friendly restaurant staff who made us feel like regulars the moment we stepped in the door, this island really is a food-lover’s paradise, and as a vegan I never felt left out of this vibrant celebration of food. Check out this newer article for an updated and more comprehensive look at the vegan scene in Sicily. UPDATE 2020: This post was originally published in 2015.
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