Sarde a Beccafico

“Sarde a beccafico” is one of the best known and loved traditional Sicilian recipes. The “beccafico” that gives the recipe its name is a small sparrow-like bird that feeds on sweet ripe figs. In days gone by only the nobility used to shoot these birds, which were cooked with a delicious stuffing and then served with their beak and tail feathers sticking upwards. In order to imitate the Sicilian nobles, plebeian replaced the small birds with ‘sardines’, a much more affordable product, which they filled with bread crumbs and few more “poor” ingredients. They can be served as a main course with a side of boiled potatoes, but also as a sharer during the antipasti.