Maccu

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Sicilian maccu is a thick broad bean soup flavored with wild fennel, olive oil, salt, and pepper, allegedly named after Macchus, a gluttonous character in Roman comedies. The dish was traditionally prepared at the end of winter to celebrate the feast of St Joseph and the coming of spring - a perfect opportunity to use leftover dried beans of the last season before the new harvest begins in spring. Maccu has been a staple dish for the Sicilian contadini (lit. peasants) since Roman times, but nowadays it is rare and can be found on restaurant menus only occasionally. Usually served with bread or lolli , a type of hand-made Sicilian pasta, it can also be left to cool and solidify before it is cut into strips, covered in flour, and deep-fried in olive oil. The soup is also made in Sardinia and Calabria.