This event was recently described by Tom Kington, a correspondent of the Guardian newspaper in the UK, as a 'dubious', whatever that means.

It is, in fact, one of Sicily's most progressive and consolidated annual culinary appointments.

Cous Cous Fest in the last week of September in San Vito Lo Capo, province of Trapani, is no better time or place to find out more about this most popular of dishes.

The full title of the events is 'Cous Cous Fest - The International Festival of Cultural Integration', and if that is a dubious proposition in this day and age, then there's no hope for southern Europe.

Along with rice and pasta, cous cous is one of the world's staple foods and it is made from durum wheat bran skillfully ground into fine grains then steam cooked.

The Arabic culinary influence in Sicily may not be so apparent at first glance, but this is not the case for cous cous.