Sicily during the Emirate of Sicily, although Muslims were also expelled. Today, mostly due to immigration to the island, there are also several religious minorities, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism. There are also a fair number of Evangelical Church members and practitioners who live on the island. The island has a long history of producing a variety of noted cuisines and wines, to the extent that Sicily is sometimes nicknamed "God's Kitchen" because of this. Every part of Sicily has its speciality (e.g. Cassata is typical of Palermo although available everywhere in Sicily, as is Granita, a Catania
Emirate of Sicily of the multi-ethnic County and subsequent Kingdom of Sicily, until those who had not already converted were expelled in the 1240s. Until the late 12th century, and probably as late as the 1220s, Muslims formed a substantial portion of the island's population. Their influence remains in some elements of the Sicilian language, as well as surnames and locations. In 535, Emperor Justinian I returned Sicily to the Roman Empire, now ruled from Constantinople exclusively. As the power of what is now known as the Byzantine Empire waned in the West, Sicily was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate during the reign