Italy fascinates tourists from all over the world not only for the landscapes and for the history that permeate every village and city in the country, but also for its millenary culture and gastronomic heritage, the most direct expression of the traditions of a community.
Applies to all Italian regions, Sicilia including: on the Mediterranean island there are no i typical products which really satisfy all palates, from arancini to caponata, up to bread and panelle, cannoli and sfincione, a very tasty high focaccia.
A Camporealein province of Palermo, there is a product that is placed between the same sfincione and pizza: it is the Skived, a poor but very tasty dish linked to typical local ingredients.
Sciavata, the typical dish of Camporeale
Camporeale is a small village in the Palermo area located at 440 m. high, in the heart of Val di Mazara, in the shade of rolling hills that dominate the entire Mandrianova plain: in the background the profiles of the Serra Parrino, Cozzo di Curbici, Montagnola and Rocca di Maranfusa mountains emerge.
Many believe that Camporeale was born on the ashes of Longaricum, an ancient Roman centre: today the town has a great tradition in the wine and wood fields, including in its territory carpenters and cellars, but also dairies, mills, oil mills and craft shops.
It is no coincidence that in the first days of October the Camporeale Days, an event created with the aim of promoting local excellence and enhancing it. This is the opportunity to taste the local specialties at the Exhibition Village, such as Monreale DOC wines and the Alamo DOC, the cassatedde (fried ravioli stuffed with ricotta) and the Camporealese skiving.
It is a very low focaccia with a high and soft crust, with a fragrant crunchy crust: the sauce gives the Sciavata the right flavour, being based on anchovies, caciocavallo cheese and onion.
La Skived it's a poor dish born in the peasant world of the past: it was the women who prepared it to offer the men of the house, be they children, husbands or fathers, a tastier alternative to bread (the dough of Sciavata is in fact the same as bread, although a a little more liquid).
Although there are several versions of this delicacy, the original recipe is only that of Camporeale, easy to make even at home.
Camporeale Sciavata recipe
To prepare the Sciavata dough you need: 500 g of durum wheat flour, 500 g of soft wheat flour, 20 g of salt, 20 g of brewer's yeast, water to taste.
The first thing to do is to combine the two flours and arrange them on a surface like a fountain: in the center you have to put the salt and the brewer's yeast dissolved in a little water. The ingredients must be mixed and kneaded until the whole is soft enough.
The leavening must last 2 hours and then you can create many loaves, and then let them rise a second time for about 1 hour.
The next step is to spread each loaf with your hands and season it with the onion cut into thin slices, with the dry breadcrumbs, the salted sardines and the peeled tomato cut into small pieces with your hands. Sprinkle the Sciavata with the grated Cacio Cavallo (alternatively you can use aged pecorino) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Bake for about 5 minutes at 280° and enjoy hot: the Sciavata can be accompanied by a glass of Monreale Doc or even Nero d'Avola, fresh and sour enough to enhance the flavor of this tasty baked product.
Sciavata is a typical product of Sicilian street-food and is ideal for visiting the surrounding beauties while nibbling this delicacy.
What to visit in Camporeale
In Camporeale there is a lot to visit, starting from Jesuit Baglio, a sort of walled farm that today encloses the bel Prince's Palace, where the “Camporeale Days” event takes place. This castle houses the Camporeale Museum, with a section devoted to archeology and another to ethno-anthropology.
The beam also encloses the church of Sant'Antonio da Padova, inside which many works related to the Jesuits are kept, from the marble bas-relief depicting San Calcedonio to the 600th century crucifix.
Also worth seeing Shrine of Our Lady of Sinners, linked to the legend of the discovery of a stone with the image of the Virgin with an open cloak, ready to welcome her sinner children.
La Sciavata is the best reason to reach Camporeale, enjoying the historical heritage of the town which also includes the remains of the Arab settlement Casale Curbici present in the surroundings of the village.
