Buona Festa di Santa Lucia! Viva Santa Lucia! December 13th

Today is the feast day of Santa Lucia (St. Lucy). St. Lucy is a special patroness for Sicilian Americans in Kansas City. To honor her, we eat cuccia, as no pasta, bread, or refined wheat is consumed on her feast day. According to legend, in 1646, Santa Lucia saved Sicily from a period of famine. Food arrived at a port on the island—some say it was in Palermo, while others claim it was in Syracuse. The ship that brought relief was loaded with wheat. The starving people decided to boil the wheat instead of using flour to save time and prepare a meal immediately, leading to the creation of cuccia. The word "cuccìa" is derived from "coccio," which refers to a grain of wheat. Does your family still honor this tradition? Buona Santa Lucia!

Santa Lucia Cuccia

Courtesy of Chef Jasper Mirabile

• 1 lb wheat berries

• ½ lb fig honey

• 1 orange zest

• 1 handful walnuts

• 1 cup Ricotta cheese

Clean and rinse the wheat: soak in cold water for 24 hours, then

boil it in plenty of water. Let cool in its cooking liquid. Drain and put

it back over the heat adding the fig honey. Place over Ricotta. Finish

with the grated orange zest and a few chopped walnut kernels.

Add shavings of chocolate as a special treat.

Picture 1:  Statue of St. Lucy at Holy Rosary Church in Kansas City.  Courtesy of Jerry Olschki

Picture 2:  A picture of wheat berries used to make cuccia.  

Picture 3:  A picture of the member badge for the Societa di Santa Lucia in Kansas City, MO.

Picture 4:  The Kansas City Star 12-11-1943