Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons

“[A] wonderful travel tale interspersed with mouth-watering recipes.” —The Independent (UK)

“Elizabeth David meets Jack Kerouac.” —Giogio Locatelli, author of Made in Italy

Replete with authentic Sicilian recipes culled directly from the out of the way island stoves and café kitchens that cook them, Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons presents a travelogue for seasoned travelers, and lovers of all things Italian.

At the age of twenty-six Matthew Fort first visited the island of Sicily. He and his brother arrived in 1973 expecting sun, sea and good food, but they were totally unprepared for the lifelong effect of this most extraordinary place.

Thirty years later and a bit wiser—but no less hungry—Matthew finally returns. Travelling around the island on his scooter, Monica, he samples exquisite antipasti in rundown villages and delicate pastries in towns tumbling down vertical hillsides, and goes fishing for anchovies underneath a sky scattered with stars.

Once again this enigmatic island casts its spell as Matthew rediscovers its beauty, the intensity of its flavors, and finds himself digging into the darkness of Sicily’s past as well as some mysteries of his own.

“The most intensely greedy, fragrant, and sensuously written travelogue I have ever read.” —Nigel Slater, author of The Kitchen Diaries and Nigel Slater’s Real Food

“[Fort’s] exuberant travelogue leaves you hankering for more.” —The Observer (UK)