Sicily

The largest Mediterranean island sits at the crossroads of tuna migration routes, and tuna has shaped Sicilian food culture for millennia. The mattanza, the traditional collective bluefin tuna hunt carried out in fixed trap nets called tonnare, was practiced on Sicily's western coast from ancient times through the late 20th century. Marzamemi and Favignana were the great tonnara towns, alongside Carloforte on the island of San Pietro off southwestern Sardinia, and their canneries still produce ventresca di tonno and bottarga from the remaining small-scale fisheries. Today ventresca di tonno from producers like Campisi and Adelfio, and bottarga from Sardinia's related tradition, are Sicily's most prized exports. The island also produces anchovies from Sciacca, swordfish, amberjack, and sardines from its Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts.