Culinary Traditions & Specialities

No Italian meal would be served without bread, and in Sardinia there are said to be over 500 different types, reputedly one from every village. The most typical and famous perhaps is the paper-thin, crisp pani carasau, also known as carta di musica, supposedly because it rustles like music manuscript paper! This evolved as a food for the shepherds, because it lasted well in its dried form. They ate it softened with hot water and flavoured with thin slices of fresh pecorino as suppas. A richer version of today is the pane frattau, with the addition of eggs and tomatoes. Sardinia also boasts one of the largest loaves in Italy, the semolina-based civraxiu, which can weigh over 3.5 kg.