Sardinia: Gastronomic Tour

SARDINIA sits between Italy, Tunisia, Algeria and France. That's why you can taste hints of Middle Eastern, North African, and classic continental flavours fused together over a history of thousands of years. 

More Sardinians live to be 100+ than anywhere else in the world; a fact attributed to the island’s relaxed and healthy lifestyle. Sardinian cuisine is famed for its use of fresh, in-season ingredients from the Mediterranean region, including the countless varieties of Sardinian Pecorino cheeses, local seafood, fragrant breads, full-bodied wines, and grappa. Sardinia also has more than a few unique and outstanding culinary specialties.

Buttariga (popularly known as Bottarga), which is smoked mullet caviar, is usually served as an appetizer, thinly sliced and marinated in olive oil. It's also common for Sardinians to eat spaghetti with the grated bottarga.

Sardinia is also famous for the aptly named pane carasau or carta di musica (music paper).  This is dry, light, hearty and paper-thin bread originally eaten by shepherds. When combined with tomato sauce and egg, it becomes pane frattau, breakfast of champions. 

A truly succulent delicacy is carne a carraxiu (buried meat), made by laying a suckling pig, lamb or calf in a hole in the ground covered with aromatic myrtle leaves and firewood.

Sardinia’s delicately flavoured pure sheep’s cheese Pecorino, synonymous with cheese in Sardinia, comes from pecora (sheep). The famous Pecorino Fiore Sardo is sharp from being smoked and then aged over a long period, but is only one of many.

"I recommend the Pecorino Sardo and Fiore with lemon marmalade. Their grainy saltiness melds well with the sweet bitterness. But try the Rosso with truffle honey for a very different experience in texture and flavour."