The Strange Yet Delicious Squid Ink Pasta That Travelers Will Mainly Find In One Region Of Italy

It's quite possible that any millennials who remember writing out their schoolwork with a ballpoint pen are scarred by getting a mouthful of ink, after chewing the end of the biro while staring out the classroom window, daydreaming of travels, pasta, and recess. No? Just us? Well if that trauma didn't befall you, the delicious Italian seafood dish spaghetti al nero di seppie is absolutely one for you. And if the idea of a mouthful of ink sounds terrifying, park that. The main ingredient of spaghetti al nero di seppie — squid ink — doesn't taste like ink or even a pungent fish. Rather, it's packed full of seafaring flavors like salt and brine.

This niche pasta dish is a speciality found across Sicily, Italy's sun-drenched southern corner that's packed full of dreamy cities like Catania, Noto and Syracuse. The trattoria restaurants of Catania are a particularly prime destination to try spaghetti al nero di seppie; the chefs take great pride in this local dish, which they have mastered over the centuries. But why is the delectable squid ink spaghetti, usually topped with cuttlefish or recently caught calamari or shrimp, so popular in Italy's southernmost region?

You might wonder why spaghetti al nero di seppie is a Sicilian niche dish, and the answer is simple: geography. Being an island in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily's most thriving cities and townships are coastal. And with this coastal location comes a strong legacy of seafood cuisine. The availability of squid ink, the vital ingredient, is more prevalent here than in an inland Italian hub like Bologna, an underrated city with some of the world's best pasta. Sicilian fishermen have centuries of experience, passed down through generations, that has bred an expertise on where to find squid and how to snare them. Catania is a particular hub for the dish, with vibrant, bustling fish markets, known as pescheria, that are as busy today as they were millennia ago.

Sicily isn't the only region of Italy to serve spaghetti al nero di seppie, however. It's big on the menus of another historically sea-faring state, the city formerly known as "The Most Serene Republic of Venice." Venetian specialities, like Sicilian dishes, are also very seafood focused, but the best-kept secret there is the sgroppino, a mouth-watering sorbet cocktail infused with lemons and Prosecco. So, whether Sicily or Venice is on your bucket list, be sure to add this delicious, rare dish to your dinner order — you won't be sorry.