In Sardinia, you may after a while come to notice a few recurring key ingredients in dishes.
It's no surprise, really, that seafood is often seen and eaten everywhere in Sardinia. It is an island after all, flanked by water on all sides. Main dishes often incorporate seafood; many Sardinian regions prove this. Seafood was not actually incorporated until after the many conquerors left Sardinia. As mentioned in a former post, the conquerors forced Sardinians away from the coastlines, so seafood only recently became a key ingredient. Now it can be found in many dishes, especially during main courses.
Meat is another key ingredient used in Sardinian cuisines. The early history of the Sardinians forced them to grow and maintain pastures where cows, sheep, pigs, and goats were raised. The Sardinians also have many methods of cooking meat, such as roasting it over herbs. Did you know that another popular method of cooking meat is to burry it in the ground? After digging a hole, the meat would be placed overtop of myrtle leaves, covered up again with the same leaves and then earth, and a fire would be made above the area. Clearly these neat methods of cooking show the importance meat holds for Sardinians.
Cheese is another ingredient that is important to Sardinian cuisine. Due to their traditional history with sheep, today their most renowned cheese is made using sheep milk. It is known as Pecorino cheese, and it is the most popular of the Sardinian cheeses.
Interesting fact: Pecorino actually finds its roots from the Italian word for sheep. Pecorino cheese can be either really sweet or even spicy if left out for about six months. This cheese is often used as an antipasti, but can also be grated on top of the pasta.
Finally, bread and pasta are key ingredients to most Sardinian diets. A well know and renowned bread in Sardinia is known as the Carasau, also known as "music paper" or carta da musica. Doesn't that sound divine? Another well known bread in Sardinia is the 'su civraxiu'. This bread is actually made particularly in Oristano, Iglesias and the plains of Cagliari, areas in Sardinia.
All of the ingredients mentioned above are keys to Sardinian cuisine. The bread, cheese and meat represent traditional ingredients, while fish and other sea creatures represent more recent ingredients. Combine all these ingredients, and you already know half of the Sardinian history of food!
Meat is another key ingredient used in Sardinian cuisines. The early history of the Sardinians forced them to grow and maintain pastures where cows, sheep, pigs, and goats were raised. The Sardinians also have many methods of cooking meat, such as roasting it over herbs. Did you know that another popular method of cooking meat is to burry it in the ground? After digging a hole, the meat would be placed overtop of myrtle leaves, covered up again with the same leaves and then earth, and a fire would be made above the area. Clearly these neat methods of cooking show the importance meat holds for Sardinians.Cheese is another ingredient that is important to Sardinian cuisine. Due to their traditional history with sheep, today their most renowned cheese is made using sheep milk. It is known as Pecorino cheese, and it is the most popular of the Sardinian cheeses.Interesting fact: Pecorino actually finds its roots from the Italian word for sheep. Pecorino cheese can be either really sweet or even spicy if left out for about six months. This cheese is often used as an antipasti, but can also be grated on top of the pasta.
All of the ingredients mentioned above are keys to Sardinian cuisine. The bread, cheese and meat represent traditional ingredients, while fish and other sea creatures represent more recent ingredients. Combine all these ingredients, and you already know half of the Sardinian history of food!
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