Cuccìa

Cuccìa is a traditional Sicilian dish containing boiled wheat berries, which is eaten on Saint Lucy's feast day (December 13). The dish is consumed in Sicily and among Italian-Americans to commemorate the relief from a food shortage in Sicily; the appearance of wheat on the island is attributed to Saint Lucy. According to custom, bread should not be eaten on December 13; the notion is that cuccìa should be the only source of wheat, and the primary source of nourishment for the day.

Cuccìa is prepared differently from family to family and in different regions. Some make cuccìa as soup, others as a pudding; and, in Kansas City, Missouri among Sicilian-Americans, cuccìa is prepared as a hot-cereal, but most traditional preparations add sugar, butter and milk. Ceci beans (chickpeas), known to Americans as garbanzo beans are also associated with the eating of cuccìa, as are almonds and ricotta. Also, ricotta might be found as an ingredient. The term cuccìa itself is distinctly Sicilian, not related to similarly spelled Italian words; nevertheless, cuccia owes its origins to the Arabic word of kiskiya that referenced both grain and earthenware, that held the grain, as Sicily was dominated by Arabic peoples that gave rise to many foods iconic to Sicilian cuisine.

SOURCE:

http://www.sicilianculture.com/rc/stlucy.htm