Like so many of the great food cultures, Sardinian cuisine is born of necessity. As a poor people, Sardinians have always foraged for ingredients in the mountains and forests: fennel, asparagus, chicory, and nettles; chestnuts, berries, and honey. Rabbit, game birds, and wild boar are still hunted in the traditional and time-honored manner. And those living on the coast gather clams, mussels, and tiny crabs from along the shoreline for soups and pasta sauces. The primary flavorings are the herbs that grow wild everywhere on the island: bay leaves, juniper berries, mint, and sage, as well as the characteristic Sardinian myrtle, the leaves of which are used in stocks and marinades, and to scent roasted meat while it rests. Giovanni Pilu believes Sardinian cooking should involve fresh produce simply prepared, allowing the full flavor of the ingredients to speak for themselves. Since opening Pilu at Freshwater in 2004, he has expanded his Sardinian repertoire, cooking the food that's in his blood and close to his heart and it is this food he shares with us in A Sardinian Cookbook.

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Features & Stories

Behind the Cookbook: A Sardinian Cookbook, A Lombardian Cookbook and Wild Weed Pie

They say there are two types of people in the world: Italians and those who wish they were. Despite a very Italian first name, I fall firmly into the second group.I’ve loved Italy since I spent six weeks backpacking down the Mediterranean coast from Rome to Sicily in the early 90s, discovering cacio e pepe pasta, buffalo mozzarella, authentic cannoli and Campari soda. I love its food, wine, architecture and history, but most of all I love its people and the way they embrace life and share it with whoever happens to be nearby, most often around the table.