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SIMPLE GENUINE CUISINE |
  
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| The value of Sardinian cooking has always been exclusively based on the genuineness of the products, without the creative research, inventiveness and refinement which were the most important features of gastronomy back in the 17th century when in Sardinia - which was largely populated by shepherds and farmers - cooking was seen essentially as a means of sustenance, rather than a creative art. There were no Italian or European courts on the island with their armies of cooks working on the elaboration of refined culinary effects and combinations. It was in Europe that the canons of "grande cuisine" were established. And while European civilisation was undergoing great ferments not only in political and social terms but also in the art of cooking, Sardinia continued to be isolated from such tensions, with its poor agricultural and pastoral society. The island had no opulent aristocracies requiring culinary research for the joy of the palate and "the good life"; Sardinians were simply concerned with the struggle for survival. In these conditions Sardinian cooking remained at the level of genuine simplicity, even at the higher levels of the island's society. Today however we can speak of true Sardinian gastronomy, in the sense that it is represented by its genuine ingredients. Sardinia potentially offers the world's tastiest fish, and alimentary products of great interest to the palate, the herbs and fragrances of the land. The defects of cooking in general have taught us something: and tomorrow's cooking combines a touch of genius, culture and inventiveness with the use of exclusively genuine products. Sardinian fish soups and dishes of grilled and fried fish are incomparable: "orate", "saraghi", mullet seasoned with herbs, bass in black olives, umbrina with onion, eels and peas, crayfish with aubergines, scampi and artichokes, mullet in garlic sauce, stuffed squid, lobsters cooked in dozens of different ways, and all the other fish and crustaceans prepared in well chosen combinations with the herbs and fragrances of this land. Other specialities include "fregula", "gnocchetti alla campidanese" (potato noodles), sweet ravioli, wild fennel soup, pasta and artichokes, "gallurese" soup, broad bean soup, lamb's trotters in garlic sauce, "impanada", pork brochettes, kid goat with olives, sweet-and-sour boar, "corduna" and peas and casseroled snails. "Frattau" and "guttiau" bread is always served with sheep's milk cheese that has the unmistakable taste of pastures in the Mediterranean bush. And as far as desserts are concerned, Sardinia's century-old traditions in this field present such a variety that it is almost offensive just to mention a few of these specialities: "seadas", "papassini", macaroons, "sospiri", cheese and ricotta flans, "tilicche" and "mostaccioli". Being a land of sun Sardinia inevitably has a millenary tradition of wines, particularly as far as the quality is concerned. You would need an encyclopedia to make a complete list of them and the following are just some of the best known wines and liqueurs: cannonau, Capo Ferrato, Girò, Monica, Nasce, Nuragus, Malvasia from Besa, Vernacchia from Oristano, Vementino from Gallura, Selene, Aghilaia, Thaora, Dorato (golden wine) from Sorso, Aragosta, Torbato, Terre Bianche, Tanca Farrà, Anghelu Ruiu, Filu e Ferru, Mirto and Villacidro.
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