L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 20, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano S a r d i n i a n c u i - sine may be sim- ple in its ingredi- e n t s , b u t i t ' s packed with fla- v o r a n d b o l d n e s s : i t a l l comes down to the island's Mediterranean climate and how it positively affects agri- culture, but also to its his- tory. Over the centuries, Sardinian cuisine managed to maintain a very distinct and well-defined personali- ty, perhaps also because of, well… its insularity. A per- sonality, however, that is as multifaceted as the island's f a n t a s t i c l a n d s c a p e , t h a t brings under the same sky beaches reminiscent of the C a r i b b e a n s a n d b a r r e n , a l m o s t m o o n - l i k e i n l a n d areas. E x p e r t g a s t r o n o m e r s guarantee that the food of Sardinia inherited elements from the cuisine of all of its c o n q u e r o r s , f r o m t h e P h o e n i c i a n s t o t h e C a r t h a g i n i a n s , f r o m t h e Romans to the Genoese, the Pisans, and the Catalans, all the way to the Spanish and t h e P i e d m o n t e s e . T h e island's ancient gastro- n o m i c t r a d i t i o n is still evident today in some of its m o s t f a m o u s d i s h e s : f o r i n s t a n c e , t h e f o o d o f t h e Oristano region still has dis- tinct Phoenician characteris- tics, and recent archaeologi- c a l f i n d i n g s s u g g e s t t h a t Sardinia was an area of pro- duction for Rome's favorite condiment, garum. The dis- covery was made while exca- vating the archaeological a r e a a r o u n d t h e p o r t o f Cagliari, the region's capital a n d , i n c i d e n t a l l y , a c i t y k n o w n f o r i t s d e l i c i o u s seafood and fish dishes: yet another sign that today's Sardinian cuisine learned it all from history. K e y t o t h e a l l u r e a n d beauty of Sardinian food is a l s o i t s l i n k w i t h t h e region's o r a l t r a d i t i o n . W h i l e s o m e r e c i p e s h a v e b e e n r e c o r d e d i n w r i t i n g and came to us in historical documents, the vast majori- ty of Sardinia's culinary cor- pus traveled through time t h a n k s t o t h e d e e p l y ingrained method of passing on recipes from one genera- tion to the next as if they LUCA SIGNORINI m e n t i o n t h e c o z z e d e l golfo, typical of the Olbia area and used in a plethora of preparations, from soups to pasta sauces and fillings. Of course, we have to men- t i o n b o t t a r g a , w h i c h i s perhaps one of Italy's most w e l l - k n o w n f i s h - b a s e d products around the world: i t i s m a d e w i t h t h e d r i e d eggs of tuna or red mullet a n d i s u s u a l l y g r a t e d o n p a s t a . I f y o u l i k e s o u p s , try sa cassola, common in Cagliari and its surround- ings, where a variety of fish a n d s e a f o o d i s c o o k e d i n tomato sauce with chili pep- pers. Sa burrida is another icon typical of the northern a r e a o f t h e r e g i o n , m a d e with local fish, walnuts, and pinenuts. Move inland and you'll find the jewels of pastoral Sardinian food, all based on the great variety of prod- ucts available but also on the ancient need to stay, and often live, away from home f o r a c o n s i d e r a b l e t i m e without the possibility to p r e p a r e c o m p l e x d i s h e s . This is why Sardinia's pas- t o r a l c u i s i n e i s considered povera, "poor:" because it is based on sim- plicity — but has developed with loads of creativity. Seasonality is central to Sardinian cuisine because f o o d a l w a y s f o l l o w e d t h e t r a d i t i o n a l a c t i v i t i e s o f shepherding, farming, and f i s h i n g . A n d w h e r e a s t h e vegetables you find in your o r c h a r d a r e e s s e n t i a l t o making delicious soups and side dishes, the real "green" protagonists of the Sardin- ian kitchen are their wild cousins, including wild fen- nel, borage, chard, and chicory. W h e n i t c o m e s t o pasta, m a l l o r e d d u s are perhaps the most famous of all shapes here. They are also known as gnocchetti sardi, and one of their most d e l i c i o u s v e r s i o n s i s a l l a campidanese, with toma- toes, pecorino cheese, and sausage. Another great Sar- d i n i a n p r i m o i s , o f course, fregula, a type of p a s t a s i m i l a r t o N o r t h African berkoukes, Levan- tine moghrabieh, and cous- c o u s . Y o u s h o u l d a l s o try culurgioni, large semoli- na ravioli filled with ricotta a n d s p i n a c h o r c h e e s e . When it comes to meat, the pastoral tradition of Sar- dinia is mirrored in the pop- ularity of lamb, cooked in a variety of versions: roasted, with wild fennel, with peas, or with tomatoes and saf- fron. And of course, we can- n o t f o r g e t p e c o r i n o sardo, the most quintes- s e n t i a l o f t h e i s l a n d ' s cheeses, which has become a staple in the pantries of all of Italy. To finish our short culi- nary trip across Sardinia, we should mention its wines. The island is known for its vineyards and the rounded, full-bodied taste of its reds, but we'd like to say some- thing more about its Gallu- r a V e r m e n t i n o , a d r y white wine that perfectly complements the richness of the island's best dishes. O n e s p e c i a l m e n t i o n should go to modern and c o n t e m p o r a r y S a r d i n i a n cuisine: in 2021, three local r e s t a u r a n t s r e c e i v e d a M i c h e l i n s t a r : F r a d i s Minoris in Pula, Somu in Baia, and Gusto by Sadler in San Teodoro. They join two- s t a r r e d D a l C o r s a r o , i n Cagliari, and Confusion, in g l a m o r o u s P o r t o C e r v o . Moreover, the famous Ital- ian food association Il Gam- bero Rosso awarded Cagliari with the Gastronomic City of the Year title for 2022, for " i t s a b i l i t y t o c r e a t e n e w culinary realities and, espe- cially, to develop a network of relationships and collabo- rations, ideas and projects that help the growth of Sar- dinian cuisine." Indeed, there is more to enjoy in Sardinia than beau- tiful beaches. LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Sardinian cuisine, the island's fiore all'occhiello were tales. But the secrets and aro- mas of Sardinian food are also rooted in its sea and pastoral traditions. Along its beautiful coast, we can enjoy three unique types of cui- sine, each characterized by its own flavors and styles. The first, based on Phoeni- cian and Roman elements, is the most ancient; then we have dishes of Genoese and Pisan origins, which are par- ticularly popular throughout the southwest of the island. Last but not least for sure, we find the culinary tradi- tion of Alghero, which has c l e a r C a t a l a n i n f l u e n c e s . Among its most iconic sea products and dishes, we can Bottarga, a traditional delicacy from Sardinia (Photo: Alessio OrrÃ1/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED

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