Cultural Identity & Food | The Influences Behind Sicilian Cuisine

In this interview with Roberto Carpitella, you will hear his personal stories and insights from his life of cooking in Sicily, including:

• An overview of Sicily’s multi-cultural history and how Greek, Arab, Spanish, and French dominations each contributed unique ingredients, techniques, and dishes that define Sicilian food today
• A description of traditional specialties from Trapani, Sicily, such as couscous with fish broth, pesto alla Trapanese, red tuna dishes, and desserts that reflect the region’s geography, climate, and fishing culture
• The philosophy behind using local ingredients and how Roberto’s family farm location in Ballata taught him to respect the connection between territory, seasonal products, and sustainable cooking
• The role of family in Sicilian culture, and how religious festivities like Christmas, Easter, and Saint Joseph’s Day inspire specific traditional dishes that bring families together

Expected Learning Outcome:

This lesson includes clear expected learning outcomes that support students in understanding cultural identity through first-person perspectives, while building intercultural awareness and connections between individual experience and global traditions.

• Students will identify and describe key cultural practices and beliefs from the lesson’s focus community (i.e., Sicilian culture). 
• Students will articulate insights into their own cultural identities and how those identities relate to what they learned. 
• Students will analyze how cultural expressions (like food) reflect values, history, and social traditions.
• Students will compare perspectives across cultures while finding similarities and differences through human themes. 
• Students will make connections between cultural traditions and broader global contexts (multi-cultural cuisine, cultural preservation), showing critical thinking about identity and intercultural understanding.