In a blaze of colors and emotions, of land of sea and table Sardinia is among the favorite destinations of the trips of Italians and foreigners, especially in summer: from the crystal clear sea, passing through the Caribbean beaches and ending with the simply irresistible inland landscapes, the island turns out to be a real paradise on earth.
Sardinia is also distinguished by its culinary tradition, which is expressed through an ancient cuisine, rich in history, culture and intense flavors. The raw materials come from the wooded areas of the hinterland, then from the agro-pastoral tradition, but also from the sea and fishing, releasing all their authenticity and their inimitable genuineness.
This is why Sardinian recipes include sausages and cheeses of various types, as well as other ingredients typical of the island: it is the case of Carasau bread, a very thin bread that changes its name depending on the seasoning, bottarga of tuna and mullet, of black pudding or flavored sausages.
The question, then, arises: what dishes should you absolutely try during a visit to Sardinia? Below, the “rose” of the 10 dishes must not be missed!
Culurgiones
We start with the first courses, in particular with the culurgiones, that is a pasta filled with potatoes, mint and pecorino, with an elongated shape and decorated with a pointed edge reminiscent of an ear. There are several varieties of culurgiones, whose seasoning changes according to the area, but the most common and appreciated includes a simple sauce made with tomato and basil.
Foto : Fooby
Gallurese soup
The Gallura soup, better known as “suppa cuata”, originates in Gallura, in the north of Sardinia and is composed of several layers of stale bread seasoned with cheese, broth of mixed meats and various aromas such as mint and parsley. Everything is baked in the oven, obtaining a result very similar to that of the classic lasagna.
Favata
During the Carnival period and in spring in Sardinia begins the collection of broad beans, especially in the province of Sassari, Cagliari and Santa Teresa di Gallura; in these areas, the favata is a real typical dish made of pork, broad beans and carasau bread, slowly cooked in water together with red chili and wild fennel.
Malloreddus
From the Latin “mallolus”, that is a certain variety of dumpling, the Spanish malloreddu is just a small dumpling (also known as Sardinian gnocchi, in fact) prepared with durum wheat semolina, water and salt with a characteristic striped shell shape. Sometimes, the malloreddus are colored yellow using saffron and then be enjoyed together with meat sauce, but there are many other versions: malloreddus a mazza frissa, seasoned with a cream sauce, and maccarronis de orgiu, barley based and seasoned with grated ricotta. Thanks to their shape, malloreddus are perfect to accompany fish, meat and/or vegetable sauces.
Sa fregula
Among the most characteristic and ancient products of the island, the sa fregula is obtained with a mixture of durum wheat semolina and water, rolled and dried in the sun on a horsehair sieve covered by a cloth. The name always comes from the Latin, from the verb “frisare” which means “chop” or “crumble” and, in fact, the sa fregula is nothing more than a set of grains served in soups of meat, fish or vegetables.
Porceddu
You get to one of the most iconic dishes of Sardinia: the roast piglet, also known as porceddu, prepared with whole skewered suckling pigs and cooked in a vertical position on grills. During cooking, they are frequently turned to cook them evenly and flavored with myrtle and rosemary leaves. Porceddu is a dish that requires time and patience, since it takes 3 to 5 hours for optimal cooking. The advice is to spoil it with a glass of local red wine, from the full-bodied Cannonau to the softer Monica.
Pardulas
Widely spread in the regions of Campidano and Sulcis, pardulas are typical Easter sweets: they are presented as mini-cakes filled with sheep ricotta, saffron and lemon peel and flavored with citrus peel. In some cases, the filling may also contain cheese, which gives them the name casadinas. Everything is then wrapped with a crunchy dough made with durum wheat semolina and in the Sassari hinterland is also added sultanas. Before serving, pardulas are sprinkled with plenty of icing sugar or covered with honey.
Seadas
Seadas are the Sardinian dessert par excellence: they consist of pancakes prepared with a mixture of semolina, stuffed with fresh curdled pecorino cheese and flavored with lemon peel. It is possible to taste two variations: the one with cooked cheese and the one with raw cheese, the latter known as mandrona, that is “in a lazy way”. Once ready, the seadas are fried and sprinkled with honey in abundance.
Ispinadas
Ancient pastoral dish, the ispinadas are skewers of sheep meat; in the past, in fact, the ispinada was a skewer, Indeed, very small metal that shepherds brought with them to the pasture and then used it in the preparation of these inviting skewers of sheep meat. Thanks to the small size of the spit, the shepherds could cook the meat very quickly without, therefore, lighting a fire too large.
Pane frattau and guttiau
Carasau bread is not the only type of bread produced and spread in Sardinia; there are, in fact, also frattau bread and pace guttiau: the first is obtained by softening the carasau bread in meat broth or in water before seasoning it with tomato sauce, basil and grated pecorino; the second, however, has as its main ingredient always carasau bread but, in this case, is seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt and toasted rosemary and served as an appetizer or aperitif to accompany meats and cheeses.
Mullet bottarga
The bottarga is a historical food of Sardinia. It is obtained by drying the mullet eggs, which are then salted according to a traditional procedure. Among the most famous is that of Cabras, in the province of Oristano.
This fine and refined food is perfect to grate on pasta, is packaged in a mustache, and lends itself to many recipes thanks to its unique flavor.
Lobster Catalan style
Typical of Algero, the Catalan lobster owes its name to when the city was known as Barceloneta. It is one of the most delicious dishes of Sardinian cuisine and is prepared with the flesh of the crustacean combined with onion, spring onion, celery, cherry tomatoes and chives. A triumph of taste.
In short, good food in Sardinia is certainly not lacking but, to taste it at its best, it is recommended to accompany every dish with excellent local DOC wine, ranging from the famous Vermentino di Gallura to the renowned Cannonau.
Copertina: Fooby
