The southeast corner of Sicily comprises the Monti Iblei, or Hyblaean Mountains, and the province of Ragusa.
This city of over 70,000 inhabitants was founded by the Siculians and was called Hibla, meaning the land of flower and honey, and later called Ragusa from the Greek Rogus, or barn, for the large production of wheat. The city is divided in Ragusa superiore (upper town) and Ragusa inferiore, the lower and oldest part called Ibla. Ragusa is the capital of the province by the same name, and it was destroyed in 1542 and 1693 by earthquakes and rebuilt mostly in Baroque style. All buildings and monuments are well kept by the inhabitants who have some of the highest standards of living on the island.

The main resources are agriculture, livestock, tourism and the chemical industry linked to oil and oil by-products.
In Ragusa, there are many internationally known restaurants in which chefs are cooking original and tasty dishes. They use rare and expensive Sicilian provisions, applying their talent in the creation of new dishes and in the presentation of their preparations. These circumstances apply to many deluxe restaurants all over Sicily. If you prefer the authentic dishes of Ragusa, the best place to go is to an out-of-the-way trattoria or an agriturismo boarding house, which is family-managed and where food is served and prepared following the old versions of classic and traditional cooking.

Ragusa is one of the biggest producers of cheese: the Ragusano and the Caciocavallo are exported in large quantities. The town of Vittoria exports fresh vegetables and fruit all over Italy and is a big producer of wine, the most famous being the Cerasuolo di Vittoria.

In everyday cooking in the home or in the eateries, original dishes made using local produce and products enrich even the poorest dish with aroma and flavor. If you can take pleasure in one of the original dishes, it will be a new and unforgettable experience for your palate.

Scacciata is a focaccia stuffed with tomato sauce, hot peppers and Caciocavallo cheese. U pastizzu, or ‘mpanata, is made with dough stuffed either with cauliflowers or spinach; there is a version with sweet sausages or lamb in combination with Caciocavallo cheese and tomato.
Lasagna cacata is a luscious pasta dish with an unfortunate name. It is a thinner lasagna pasta, cooked and amalgamated with ricotta and cheese in a big bowl, individually served with a brown sauce of beef, pork, tomato and topped with cheese. 

Coniglio partuisa is rabbit sautéed with olives, capers, vinegar, tomatoes and a touch of honey.
Pollo stemperato is sautéed chicken with assorted vegetables, capers, olives, mint and vinegar.
The tuna fish stemperato is sautéed with garlic, celery, green olives, capers, raisins and vinegar.

Macalle’ is fried pastry dough stuffed with sweetened ricotta, chocolate and candied citron.
Bianco mangiare, the eggless custard mixed with toasted ground almonds and pistachios, is spiced with cinnamon and orange.

The chocolate is made in many different flavors, as per the traditional Iberian recipes, in combination with hot or exotic spices.