One reason Sicilians tend to identify with Sicily first and Italy (a distant) second?

Sicilian food.

The same goes for Veneto in the north or Puglia in the south.

Italy is a young country - it only celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2011.

Despite the successful export of the "Italian restaurant," the idea of a unified Italian cuisine is something many Italians reject.

Instead there are regional dishes, sometimes with tastes as different as you'd find between countries.
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World-renowned chef, author and Emmy-winning television personality Anthony Bourdain visits Sicily in the next episode of "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown," airing Sunday, October 13, at 9 p.m. ET. Follow the show on Twitter and Facebook.

Mangia! Mangia! Anthony Bourdain follows Michael Corleone's footsteps to savor the Sicilian way of life.

The usual suspects are there: wine, salume, olives, cheese and, of course, pasta. In this case, tossed with a fresh haul of sardines from the Mediterranean.

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Despite unemployment being close to 12%, Italians are snubbing traditional jobs like pizza-making.

Incredible architecture and art are splendid and interesting enough but when I go to Italy, I want to eat.

Which is why, after a dozen trips to the country, I decided to settle into the city of Bologna for a few weeks and consume as much as I possibly could.

Now, every Italian will tell you that their region makes the best food. But for many, the best Italian food comes from the region of Emilia-Romagna, of which Bologna is the capital. Meat ragu, tortellini, lasagna, parmigiano cheese, mortadella, coppa and balsamic vinegar - all have roots here and the resulting regional dishes are truly sublime.
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