Cuisine of Sardinia

Last updated

The cuisine of Sardinia is the traditional cuisine of the island of Sardinia, and the expression of its culinary art. It is characterised by its own variety and by the fact of having been enriched through a number of interactions with the other Mediterranean cultures while retaining its own identity. Sardinia's food culture is strictly divided into food from the land and food from the sea, reflecting the island's historical vicissitudes and especially its geographic landscapes, spacing from the coastline to the ragged mountains of the interior. The Sardinian cuisine is considered part of the Mediterranean diet, a nutritional model that was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. [1]

Contents

Seafood

Uncooked fregula UncookedFregula.jpg
Uncooked fregula

Inland and mountain food

First courses

Here are some typical first courses:

NameImageDescription
malloreddus Sardo Cucina, Fitzrovia, London (5147126888).jpg the malloreddus are tapered-shaped durum wheat semolina pasta traditionally flavored with saffron. They are usually seasoned with campidano or sausage sauce, but among the typical recipes there is the variant with casu furriau that is with melted cheese and saffron. They are also known as cigiones in Sassari and Cravaos in Nuoro, and – in Italian – gnocchetti sardi; [2]
the culurgiones Culurgiones.jpg fresh durum wheat dumplings filled with ricotta and mint, or with a filling based on potato, fresh cheese and mint;
lorighittas Lorighittas sardi (36953461766).jpg pasta prepared since ancient times in Morgongiori, a small town in the middle of the island, weaving a double strand of pasta;
macarrones de busa Bucatini allamatriciana.jpg a sort of bucatini made with a special elongated iron;
macarrones furriaosdumplings topped with very fresh pecorino cheese, melted together with the bran to form a sort of cream;
macarrones cravàos, o de punzu or macarrones de ùngia Macarrones.JPG in Gallurese called chiusòni or ciusòni, are particular small dumplings of durum wheat semolina in the form of small cylinders of 3–4 cm in size, spread all over the island but in particular in Gallura; [3]
the fregula Fregola sarda de Chef koketo.jpg a particular dry pasta made from durum wheat semolina, worked in small lumps and used for typical dishes such as fregula with clams or fregula with sauce. It is also used to make soups with meat broths; [4]
Gallurese soup or suppa cuattaa dish consisting of Sardinian bread, casizolu, spices and pecorino cheese, all softened with broth and cooked in the oven;
typical of the Sassarese is the fabadda (favata)traditionally prepared during the carnival period, which consists of a soup made with dried beans, cabbage, fennel, pork rind and pork;
panadaan empanada made with puff pastry and stuffed with lamb (or eels), potatoes, and dried tomatoes; it is prepared in all the island, being nowadays a specialty of various towns such as Assemini, Oschiri, Berchidda, Pattada, and Cuglieri;
pane frattau or pane carasau Pane Frattau.jpg toasted bread soaked in the broth, arranged in layers interspersed with grated pecorino and tomato sauce and with a poached egg on top;
the soup and 'mercamade with su succu, a particular type of pasta similar to tagliolini, with tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes (depending on the variants), with the final addition of curdled sheep's milk (frue);
filindeu Filindeu in brodo.jpg a pasta that is made only in Nuoro, made with the finest semolina, woven in a particular way and served with sheep's broth and plenty of fresh cheese;
su succufirst dish typical of Busachi, prepared with very thin tagliolini, or angel hair, cooked in sheep's broth, flavored with saffron in stigmas[ clarification needed ], and seasoned with fresh, acidulous pecorino.

Second courses

Porcetto Porcetto sardo 1.jpg
Porcetto
Gamberi Carabineros alla Vernaccia. Carabineros1.jpg
Gamberi Carabineros alla Vernaccia.
Cordula in umido con olive Cordula.jpg
Cordula in umido con olive

Sweets

Even desserts, like the other products of Sardinian gastronomy, vary considerably from region to region. Here are the most known ones:

Copuletas, tipico dolce di Ozieri Copuletas.jpg
Copuletas, tipico dolce di Ozieri
Pan 'e Saba Pan'e Saba.jpg
Pan 'e Saba
Seadas Seadas.JPG
Seadas

Bread

Pane carasau Pane carasadu1.JPG
Pane carasau

Wine

Several vineyards are present in every corner across the island, [7] from the Campidanese and coastal plains to the hilly and mountainous highlands. The particular composition of the soil and the sunny climate allows for high-quality production. The long winemaking tradition has its roots in the Nuraghic past, and from then on it did not suffer any interruptions since the island never fell under Arab rule, and thus the Islamic prohibition on alcohol did not affect Sardinia at all; on the contrary, winemaking saw a major increase in the Byzantine and the Judgedoms period. Today, there are 15 IGT, 19 DOC and 1 Docg wines on the island.

Cannonau (or Cannonao) is a typical Sardinian red wine, rich in phenols, made from Grenache grapes, suited to drinking with a red-meat meal. [8]

Cheese

One of the popular cheeses of the area is casu marzu, a Sardinian sheep's milk cheese that contains live maggots to help assist the fermentation of the cheese.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Turkey

Turkish cuisine is the cuisine of Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. Although the cuisine took its current rich form after numerous cultural interactions throughout centuries, it should not be confused with other cuisines such as Ottoman cuisine or Seljuk cuisine. Turkish cuisine with traditional Turkic elements such as yogurt, ayran, kaymak, exerts and gains many influences to and from Greek, Armenian, Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Eastern European cuisines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeppola</span> Italian pastry

Zeppola, in Sardinia italianized zippole or zeppole sarde from the original Sardinian tzípulas, is an Italian pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball of varying size but typically about 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. This fritter is usually topped with powdered sugar, and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. The consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread- or pasta-like. It is eaten to celebrate Saint Joseph's Day, which is a Catholic feast day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porchetta</span> Italian pork dish

Porchetta is a savory, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. The carcass is deboned and spitted or roasted traditionally over wood for at least eight hours, fat and skin still on. In some traditions, porchetta is stuffed with liver and wild fennel, though many versions do not involve stuffing. Porchetta is usually heavily salted and can be stuffed with garlic, rosemary, fennel, or other herbs, often wild. Porchetta has been selected by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale (PAT), one of a list of traditional Italian foods held to have cultural relevance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easter bread</span> Bread traditionally eaten around Easter

In many European countries, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, there are various traditions surrounding the use of bread during the Easter holidays. Traditionally the practice of eating Easter bread or sweetened "communion" bread traces its origin back to Byzantium, Eastern Catholicism and the Orthodox Christian church. The recipe for sweetened or "honey-leavened" bread may date back as far as the Homeric Greek period based on anecdotal evidence from classical texts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Italy

Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes, and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize, and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian cuisine</span> Types of food in Palestine culture

Palestinian cuisine consists of foods from or commonly eaten by Palestinians, whether in Palestine, Israel, Jordan, or refugee camps in nearby countries, or by the Palestinian diaspora. The cuisine is a diffusion of the cultures of civilizations that settled in the region of Palestine, particularly during and after the Islamic era beginning with the Arab Ummayad conquest, then the eventual Persian-influenced Abbasids and ending with the strong influences of Turkish cuisine, resulting from the coming of the Ottoman Turks. It is similar to other Levantine cuisines, including Lebanese, Syrian and Jordanian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Israel

Israeli cuisine primarily comprises dishes brought from the Jewish diaspora, and has more recently been defined by the development of a notable fusion cuisine characterized by the mixing of Jewish cuisine and Arab cuisine. It also blends together the culinary traditions of the various diaspora groups, namely those of Middle Eastern Jews with roots in Southwest Asia and North Africa, Sephardi Jews from Iberia, and Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neapolitan cuisine</span> Traditional food of Naples, Italy

Neapolitan cuisine has ancient historical roots that date back to the Greco-Roman period, which was enriched over the centuries by the influence of the different cultures that controlled Naples and its kingdoms, such as that of Aragon and France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Algerian cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Algeria

The Algerian Cuisine includes multiple flavors and influences, reflecting the country's history and position at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

<i>Vastedda</i> Traditional Sicilian bread

Vastedda is the traditional Sicilian bread used to prepare the pani câ meusa, a sandwich of veal spleen. It often also includes caciocavallo and ricotta toppings. Vastedda is most common in the city of Palermo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venetian cuisine</span> Cuisine from the city of Venice, Italy

Venetian cuisine, from the city of Venice, Italy, or more widely from the region of Veneto, has a centuries-long history and differs significantly from other cuisines of northern Italy, and of neighbouring Austria and of Slavic countries, despite sharing some commonalities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lombard cuisine</span> Italian cuisine from the Lombard region

Lombard cuisine is the style of cooking in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. The historical events of its provinces and of the diversity of its territories resulted in a varied culinary tradition. First courses in Lombard cuisine range from risottos to soups and stuffed pasta, and a large choice of second course meat or fish dishes, due to the many lakes and rivers of Lombardy.

<i>Parrozzo</i> Cake from Abruzzo, Italy

Parrozzo or panrozzo is a cake from the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is traditionally served as a Christmas dessert, but may also be enjoyed year round.

<i>Stigghiola</i> Italian meat dish originating from Sicily

The stigghiola, also known as stigghiuola, is a Sicilian food typical of the streets of the city of Palermo. It consists of guts which are washed in water and salt, seasoned with parsley and often with onion and other pot herbs, then stuck on a skewer or rolled around a leek, and finally cooked directly on the grill. The dish is generally prepared and sold as a street food. In Ragusa, the dish is baked in a casserole and is known as turciniuna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Abruzzo</span> Culinary tradition of Abruzzo

The traditional cuisine of Abruzzo is eclectic, drawing on pastoral, mountain, and coastal cuisine. Staples of Abruzzo cuisine include bread, pasta, meat, fish, cheese, and wine. The isolation which has characterized the region for centuries has ensured the independence of its culinary tradition from those of nearby regions. Local cuisine was widely appreciated in a 2013 survey among foreign tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Menorca</span>

Menorcan cuisine refers to the typical food and drink of Menorca.

<i>Neccio</i> Italian chestnut flour dessert

Neccio, also called niccio, ciaccio or cian, is a galette based on chestnut flour, typical of some mountain zones of Tuscany and Emilia, in Italy, and of the island of Corsica, in France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of Basilicata</span> Cuisine of the Basilicata region of Italy

The cuisine of Basilicata, or Lucanian cuisine, is the cuisine of the Basilicata region of Italy. It is mainly based on the use of pork and sheep meat, legumes, cereals and vegetables, with the addition of aromas such as hot peppers, powdered raw peppers and horseradish. The local gastronomy is, for historical-cultural reasons, typically peasant, based on simple recipes and on the culture of reuse, in particular of meat and bread.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easter in Italy</span> Easter celebrations and traditions in Italy

Easter in Italy is one of the country's major holidays. Easter in Italy enters Holy Week with Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday, concluding with Easter Day and Easter Monday. Each day has a special significance. The Holy Weeks worthy of note in Italy are the Holy Week in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto and the Holy Week in Ruvo di Puglia.

References

  1. "Unesco: dieta mediterranea; Cappellacci, soddisfazione per riconoscimento a eccellenze agro-alimentari – Regione Autonoma della Sardegna". www.regione.sardegna.it. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  2. "Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna" (PDF). sardegnaagricoltura.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  3. "Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna" (PDF). sardegnaagricoltura.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  4. "Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna" (PDF). sardegnaagricoltura.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna Archived 4 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna Archived 31 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Prodotto Agroalimentare Tradizionale della Sardegna" (PDF). sardegnaagricoltura.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  8. Hindle, Georgie (17 May 2019). "What is Cannonau?". Decanter . Retrieved 5 September 2024.

Bibliography