Bottega Pistho
In Sicily, breakfast is not a meal to rush through at the counter. It is a moment, a ritual that marks the start of the day. And the rules are different from the rest of Italy: here you eat brioche col tuppo (not a croissant), you drink granita (not cappuccino), and the spread is not Nutella.
1. Brioche col tuppo with pistachio cream
The Sicilian brioche is soft, slightly sweet, with that "tuppo" — the round cap on top — that you pull off first and dip into cream. Cut it in half, fill generously with pistachio cream, and close. The contrast between the warm brioche and the room-temperature cream is the taste of Sicily in the morning.
No Sicilian brioche? A plain croissant works, but you can order frozen brioche col tuppo from Sicilian bakeries and warm them in the oven at 180°C for 5 minutes.
2. Toasted bread with zagara honey and ricotta
Two slices of rustic bread, toasted, a generous layer of fresh ricotta (sheep's milk if you can find it), a drizzle of orange blossom honey. The floral sweetness of zagara honey marries the savouriness of ricotta in a way that words cannot do justice. A protein-rich, wholesome breakfast that tastes of the Sicilian countryside.
3. Crêpes with hazelnut cream and granules
Make thin crêpes (flour, milk, eggs, a pinch of salt). Fill them with a spoonful of organic hazelnut cream — the real one, 35% hazelnut, palm oil free. Roll, sprinkle with hazelnut granules and a drizzle of wildflower honey. In 10 minutes you have a breakfast your children will not forget.
4. Greek yoghurt with lemon marmalade and almonds
Full-fat Greek yoghurt (not the 0% kind — breakfast is not the time to diet), a tablespoon of organic lemon marmalade, a handful of toasted almond flakes. The acidity of the yoghurt, the citrus notes of the marmalade and the crunch of the almonds: three textures, three flavours, all in harmony.
5. Rusks with almond cream and eucalyptus honey
A breakfast for those who like less sweet flavours. Organic almond cream, with its 43% pure almond, has a restrained sweetness and a toasted aftertaste. Spread on wholemeal rusks and accompanied by a teaspoon of eucalyptus honey — balsamic and intense — it becomes the perfect breakfast for the cold season.
Our tip: set up a sharing platter
If you want to recreate the true Sicilian breakfast experience, don't serve a single plate. Place the honey, pistachio cream, marmalade, warm bread and ricotta in the centre of the table. Let everyone compose their own breakfast. In Sicily, sharing at the table starts from the first cup of coffee.
