Page 14 - Book-TradiAliCulture-Sicily

HISTORY OF THE PASTES

The pastes have a very old history which starts 7000 years ago, when the man gives up the
wandering life and starts to cultivate the ground. He discovers wheat then, learns how to work it,
refine it, knead it with water. He sprinkles the paste and cooks it on the hot stone.

In 1154, in a document of the Arab geographer « Al-Idrin », who resembled a tourist guide, one
mentioned a food of flour in the shape of son called “triyah”, and produced in Sicily.

The “busiate” are a kind of pastes which belongs to the typical dishes of the gastronomy of Trapani.
The name of these pastes derives from “busa”, the stem of an endemic plant to the Mediterranean
region. One used the “busa” to roll up the fresh pasta and to give them the typical shape in spiral.

Concerning the pistou with the “trapanese”, it is a receipt very old and typical of the province of
Trapani, which was born from the continuations of the continual commercial exchanges between
Italy and Is Europe. During their long journeys, the boats which started from Genova towards Eastern
Europe often made stopover with Trapani, one of the towns of Sicily having a port among most
important of all the island. In Trapani, one quickly adapted the receipt of the Genoese pistou, which
then with time, was modified by people of Trapani and was adapted to the local products: the
tomato and almonds.

The receipt for the manufacturing of Busiate

Ingredients for the pastes (4 people) :
- 400 G of wheat flour hard
- 200 ml of water approximately
- virgin extra olive oil in q.s.
- salt in q.s.

Preparation

● Pour the flour in a dish with a small
amount of salt and of the olive oil in
sufficient quantity.
● Gradually pour water in the mixture
until obtaining a homogeneous paste.
● Let put back the paste with the
refrigerator during 30 minutes.
● Spread out the paste over a scheme of
work using your hands by forming small
some 8/10 cm length thin cylinders.
● Roll up the cylinders of paste around a
spade with skewer.
● Pose to them side by side on a plate
flour.
● Let dry them a few hours around their
spade before releasing some.
● Cook the busiate “al cogs”.

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