Nowhere is Sicily’s complex history more evident than in its food. The Greeks brought grapes, olives and winemaking. The Romans introduced fava beans, chickpeas, lentils and pasta, and planted grain. The Moors brought almonds, aniseed, apricots, artichokes, cinnamon, oranges, pistachio, pomegranates, saffron, sesame, spinach, sugar cane, watermelon and rice. They also started a long Sicilian love affair with sweets, including ice cream and granita (made with snow from Etna and other mountains), marzipan and candied fruits.
Northern Europeans brought the rotating skewer for cooking meat and air salting of fish. The French brought chefs. The Spanish put the finishing touches to cassata. The New World provided chilli, sweet peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and maize, and all of these were incorporated into existing recipes to the point that they would now be unimaginable without them.
An inviting new neighbourhood incontro is set to bring the warm, sociable spirit of Sicilian hospitality to South Kensington. IDDU—a word Sicilians use to describe the Aeolian volcano of Stromboli—is a friendly and chic punto d’incontro: a genuine meeting place where guests can get together for breakfast, aperitivo and late night rendezvous.
Operated by the team behind the South Kensington Club and inspired by founder Luca Del Bono’s Sicilian roots, IDDU transports you to his home island and represents the long and passionate Sicilian tradition of establishing friendships by enjoying and sharing simply prepared food and locally grown wine.
In a convivial atmosphere, with an alfresco outdoor area, IDDU offers a fine, simple, authentic Sicilian food experience, using fresh, natural flavours and healthy ingredients served up with a contemporary Mediterranean flair. The wine list features some of the most exciting examples of Sicilian wine-making; a special blend of Sicilian-roasted coffee beans is freshly ground all day; and the evening aperitivo is taken care of by an exciting cocktail menu—with nibbles on the house between 5pm and 7pm.
IDDU is open from 7.30am to 10pm every day
44 Harrington Road, London SW7; www.iddulondon.com; info@iddulondon.com; +44 20 7589 1991
