Wild Mint of Sicily: Why Sicilians Pick Their Herbs from the Hillside
Jun 25, 2026
In the highest village in the Syracuse province, mint comes from the hills, not a pot.
Buccheri, a small town in southeastern Sicily, sits at 820 meters above sea level in the Hyblaean Mountains, the highest village in the province of Syracuse. It sits perched on the slopes of Monte Lauro with views that stretch all the way to Etna. Stone streets, baroque churches, woods dense enough that deer and wild boar still move freely through them. It was recently named one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, which is a competitive category and they earned it.
It is also the village that in 2015 was named World Capital of Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Its Tonda Iblea monocultivar oil winning the top prize at the international Sol d'Oro competition in Verona. This is the same olive variety that gives Pegaso its distinctive peppery finish.
But today we are talking about mint!
Mint from the mountain
On the hills around Buccheri, wild mint grows in abundance. Along footpaths, among the country walls and rocks, near the springs and streams that feed down from Monte Lauro. It's not quite like the mint you buy in a supermarket. For one, it's more intense, slightly rougher, with a cool sharpness that lands immediately and stays. You smell it before you see it. You crush a leaf between your fingers and get a strong whiff.
In Buccheri, mint is not just a garnish. It's a fundamental ingredient. The village's most celebrated traditional preparation: Oliva a Puddhasceddha (crushed olives seasoned with garlic, fresh mint, wine vinegar and olive oil) is a registered traditional product of the region, recognized by Italy's Ministry of Agricultural Policy. Mint and olive oil together is not a whim here. It has official government protection, which is exactly the level of seriousness it deserves.
The combination works because mint's coolness cuts through the richness of good olive oil, and the oil carries the mint's aromatics in a way water can't. Together they are brighter than either alone.
A recipe from the hills
Zucchine alla menta is a classic of southeastern Sicilian cooking: agrodolce, served at room temperature, better an hour after you make it than right away. Use the best fresh mint you can find. The wild stuff from a Buccheri hillside is ideal, but grocery store will work too.
Zucchine alla Menta — Sicilian Minted Zucchini
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds about 1/4 of an inch thick (or skinny sticks)
A large handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt, to taste
Pegaso EVOO, to fry and to finish
Instructions
Heat a generous pour of olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat. Fry the zucchini rounds in batches until golden on both sides — don't crowd the pan. Remove and drain briefly on paper. In the same pan, soften the garlic in a little fresh olive oil over low heat. Add the vinegar and sugar and let it reduce for a minute until slightly syrupy. Toss the zucchini back in, season with salt, stir to coat. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the torn mint generously over the top, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Leave to cool to room temperature. The flavors settle as it sits. This is not a dish you rush.
The final drizzle of olive oil is doing real work here: it carries the mint's aromatics across the whole dish and rounds out the vinegar's sharpness. In Italy, food is love. In Buccheri, love apparently also involves a hillside, a handful of wild mint, and olive oil from trees that have been growing here longer than anyone can remember.
