The Sicilian Mafia: How the Demand for Lemons Gave Birth to the World's Most Powerful Criminal Organization

The Sicilian mafia is the most famous and influential criminal group on the planet. It has spread its tentacles all over the world and in some places controls not only criminal business, but also public utilities. And it all began on the sunny island of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, where in the 19th century serious passions flared up around... citrus fruits.

The original name of the Sicilian mafia is Cosa Nostra, which means "common cause" in the local language. The organization emerged in the second half of the 19th century, although the exact moment of its appearance is unknown. It is only known that in the 1870s, organized gangs terrorized Sicilian landowners. A document has been preserved in which a local farmer complains of threats and says that he is forced to flee the island with his family.

In the 19th century, members of Cosa Nostra were ragamuffins and extortionists. But already in the early 20th century, the mafia flourished in the United States and acquired a romantic aura. Representatives of the ethnic group were depicted as desperate and criminal, but at the same time fair people. In films and books, they took money from the rich and generously shared with the poor. Ordinary people often turned to mafia bosses to restore justice.

But what was the reality? How did Cosa Nostra come into being? Were mafiosi “men of honour” and defenders of the poor? For a long time, experts tried to understand what caused the emergence of the Sicilian mafia after the unification of Italy in the 1860s. Only recently have economists Arcangelo Dimico, Alessia Isopi and Ola Olsson found the answer to this question.

It turns out that the reason for the emergence of the mafia is not economic upheaval or social tension, but an unexpected area - the demand for lemons and oranges. These fruits began to gain popularity in the early 19th century, and by the end of the century, a large citrus industry had formed in Sicily. Interest in the fruits was directly related to the active development of the British Empire's navy.

It all started back in the 18th century, when the British Royal Navy reigned supreme in the oceans. The main problem for sailors at that time was not storms, not sea robbers, and not even hunger. Thousands of lives were taken annually by scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C. Sailing ships could have plenty of salted beef, flour, biscuits, and rum, but there was always a shortage of vitamins.

Even with good nutrition, on long voyages that lasted for months, scurvy inevitably began to affect sailors. At first, there was a slight malaise, body aches and rapid fatigue. Then the disease progressed: intestinal disorders, fever, tooth loss and convulsions began. If the sick did not receive products with vitamin C in a timely manner, they died.

The huge British fleet suffered the greatest losses from the dangerous disease. The best minds were looking for a way to combat scurvy. Sauerkraut proved itself to be a good preventative. But its production, and most importantly, storage on ships was difficult, and the product itself spoiled easily.

In the mid-1700s, Scottish Royal Navy physician James Lind conducted an experiment to find a cure for scurvy. He observed two groups of sailors suffering from the disease after returning from a voyage. The first group was fed a good, varied diet, while the second group was given fresh fruit at every meal. The patients in the first group either remained the same or worsened, while the sailors in the second group quickly began to recover.

In 1753, James Lind published A Treatise on the Scurvy, detailing his findings. He actively promoted his ideas, but encountered resistance from the bureaucracy of the Royal Admiralty. Lind’s discovery was not remembered until the 1790s, when the Royal Navy’s Sick and Wounded Committee insisted on adding lemon juice to sailors’ rations.

Soon, the healing properties of lemons were being talked about all over Europe. The fruit was becoming an increasingly valuable commodity. The only European region that could satisfy the rapidly growing demand for citrus fruits was Sicily. The Arabs brought these fruits to the island in the 10th century, and the local climate, along with fertile soil, turned out to be ideal for growing lemons and oranges.

Previously, the demand for citrus fruits was small. The fruits were used mainly in the production of perfumes, and the main income for the Sicilians came from wine, cheese, wheat and olive oil. But after the recommendations of the authoritative Committee for the Sick and Wounded of Great Britain, the situation changed. Sicilian agriculture switched to growing citrus fruits.

The transition to new crops was not easy. Not all parts of the island were equally well suited for growing lemons. But even where the soil was ideal, farmers had to put in a lot of effort. Young trees needed pruning, fertilizing, and protection from pests.

The transition to new crops was a difficult process. Not all areas of the island were suitable for growing lemons. Even on lands with ideal soil, farmers had to put in significant effort: young trees required regular pruning, fertilization, and protection from pests.

Plantations required not only care, but also protection. The fruits of hard labor could become the prey of thieves overnight or be destroyed by envious competitors. By the mid-19th century, large farms hired armed guards. Those who spared no effort, time, and money made significant profits, as demand for lemons continued to grow rapidly.

At first, citrus fruits were transported not in boxes, but in barrels. The number of "lemon barrels" exported from Sicily increased from 740 to 20,707 between 1837 and 1850. At the end of the 19th century, producers switched to more convenient boxes. Sicily was already exporting 2.5 million boxes. Each of them contained approximately 300 lemons.

The port city of Palermo became the capital of the lemon business. From here, citrus fruits were shipped by merchant ships all over Europe and even overseas to New York. Large landowners engaged in fruit cultivation earned fabulous money.

And what about ordinary Sicilians? How did the popularity of lemons affect their lives?

For centuries, Sicily was a tasty morsel for conquerors. First, the island was owned by the Greeks, then the Romans. At different times, Sicily was under the rule of the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Spaniards and French. Later, in 1816, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was formed with its capital in mainland Naples, which lasted until 1860.

Throughout this time, the rulers and governors cared little for the ordinary inhabitants of Sicily. The islanders lived in poverty and often had no rights. The rebellions that periodically broke out were suppressed with extreme cruelty. In 1860-1861, the island was conquered by the troops of the Kingdom of Italy, and its capital became the northern city of Piedmont.

Many Sicilians hoped for a change for the better, but nothing changed. The new government was as indifferent as the previous ones. The islanders continued to be second-class citizens. The rich and the officials who came from Italy spoke a language that the Sicilians did not understand. They behaved arrogantly and insolently.

The island's inhabitants often lost themselves in the difficult conditions of life and turned to crime. Sicily turned into a real bandit land, where they could kill for a few coins or even for a sideways glance. The rich and aristocrats, surrounded by security from troops, gendarmes and mercenaries, lived relatively calmly. The same could not be said about ordinary people who earned their living by honest work.

This is where the mafia originated. Surprisingly, the word itself comes from Arabic. In the original, "mafioso" meant "swindler" or "cheat" and was considered an insult. But in Sicily, it acquired a different connotation: here, "mafioso" was a commoner who stood up for the poor against the tyranny of bandits.

Initially, the mafia representatives were engaged in guarding lemon farms, protecting them from robbers and marauders who filled impoverished Sicily. But over time, the defenders became too persistent and began to dictate terms to employers, resorting to the most brutal methods.

A clear example of the formation of the mafia can be considered a story that happened in 1872 near Palermo. Doctor Galati, the owner of a lemon grove, fired the caretaker, catching him stealing fruit and secretly trading lemons. Galati hired a new worker, but soon he was killed. The police conducted a sluggish investigation, and then stopped working on the case altogether.

After this, Galati began to receive threatening letters. Unknown people demanded that the fired thief be returned to work. The doctor ignored these messages, but soon an attempt was made on his life. Although Galati was not harmed, fear forced him to flee Sicily with his family.

This story showed that man was defenseless in the face of the mafia. First, the "men of honor" or "cosca", as the mafiosi called themselves, infiltrated the police, then gained influence in local government bodies, and later began to control the lemon business. They captured the market, establishing their own rules at all stages - from production and transportation to wholesale trade. Using their people to guard lemon groves, mafia clans appropriated part of the harvest, turning it into a source of huge profits.

Later, the mafia was able to ruin entrepreneurs, destroy monopolies and dictate prices on the fruit market. Most intermediaries between farmers and exporters were connected to the mafia in one way or another. The authorities knew this well, but could do nothing about it. In some cases, issues with officials at different levels were resolved with bribes, and sometimes with the use of force.

Then came the "lemon crisis." In the early 1900s, the Sicilians had serious competition from across the ocean: farmers from Florida. This was a blow to the economy of an already troubled region. Sicily became even poorer, and tens of thousands of residents left the island in search of a better life, heading to the United States. Along with ordinary workers and farmers, mafiosi also moved to the new fertile soil.

The poor Italian neighborhoods of New York, Chicago, and Boston became the new home of Cosa Nostra. The Sicilians actively accepted Italians from other regions into their ranks, expanding the influence of the groups. Today, the mafia, whose numbers are impossible to accurately calculate, controls not only the drug, alcohol, weapons, and prostitution markets, but also has interests in the most unexpected areas.

The mafia has extended its tentacles into banking, oil and gas, and diamond mining. Lobbyists defending the interests of this criminal ethnic organization even occupy positions in the US government. The mafia's annual turnover is estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars. And at its origins were ragamuffins guarding lemon trees from other ragamuffins.

The Sicilian mafia, which began its journey as protectors of citrus plantations, has become one of the most influential criminal organizations in the world. Its history is full of paradoxes, contradictions and unexpected turns. Do you think the emergence of such groups could have been avoided if the authorities at that time had acted more decisively? Or would the mafia have inevitably emerged under different circumstances? Share your thoughts in the comments!