SARDINIAN FOOD: MEDITERRANEAN CULTURAL ESSENCE

Pane Carasau

Today, Tina Picotes and her friends want to talk about Sardinian food, which is wonderful and full of cultural influences. The friends have been tasting some of the most typical Sardinian dishes, and they have discovered how rich is Mediterranean food and every one of its cultures.

Before tasting these wonderful dishes, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Grammar 8).

More information: Past Simple (Regular Verbs) Negative & Questions

Sardinia's rich and varied history has made it an incomparable food destination, with influences stretching back 2,500 years. Learn more about the food and drink of this beautiful Mediterranean paradise.

We always think of Sardinia as being Italian, and it technically is, but the island is a far stretch across the Tyrrhenian Sea from the Italian mainland, so much so that it is as close to Tunis as it is to Rome, and much closer to the French island of Corsica. 

Tallutzas with prawn sauce and wedge clams

As the second-largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia has always been coveted, and the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Catalans and Spanish have all called the island home over the last two millennia. Even before that, the island was home to the Nuragic peoples, one of Europe’s oldest civilizations.

As a result, modern day Sardinia is a one-of-a-kind conflation of cultures, with a unique food scene to match. The Emerald Coast in the northeast of the island is a particularly popular destination, home to beautiful old fishing towns like Santa Teresa Gallura, and some of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful coastlines. Wherever you go, you’ll find a rich tapestry of influences, from the Catalan-inspired Alghero on the west coast to the ancient and historic capital of Casteddu/Cagliari in the south.

Sardinia is already famous as the home of bottarga, fregola and the infamous Casu Marzu cheese, but the island has so much more to offer for gastronomic adventurers. Read on for some more Sardinian specialities to watch out for when you visit.

More information: Sardegna Turismo

Bottarga

Bottarga is emblematic of Sardinia’s special and unique food traditions. Grey mullet or tuna roe is dried, cured and pressed into a block of delicious, umami goodness, and usually grated over pasta or served in thin slices as a starter. Although it’s become incredibly popular in modern European cuisine, the majority of top-quality bottarga stays on the island, so keep an eye out for it whilst you’re there.

Bread

Sardinia is known for its many varieties of bread, ranging from simple rustic loaves to intricately decorated and shaped coccio which are baked for special occasions. The wheat grown on the island is regarded as the best in Italy, and was even exported by the Romans across the empire.

Cheeses

Bottarga

Sardinia has a special affinity with cheeses, perhaps in part due to its proximity with the French-governed island of Corsica to the north. The island produces lots of sheep’s cheeses, with fresh whey made into ricotta, whilst curds are moulded into pecorino. Most famous of all is Casu Marzu, a Sardinian pecorino that contains live maggots. Though the legal status of the cheese is questionable, you won’t find it on sale in shops anywhere in Sardinia or the world, it’s still considered a great delicacy by the locals.

Seafood

Great seafood is all about freshness, and Sardinia’s access to the bounty of the Mediterranean makes it a paradise for seafood lovers. Sardinian fishermen bring home lots of sardines, of course, as well as swordfish, tuna, lobster, clams, and a bounty of other fish and shellfish. Keep a special look out for sea urchins too, a Mediterranean delicacy with the strong saline flavour of the sea.

Meat

If seafood isn’t your thing, don’t fret, Sardinians love their meat too. There are more than four million sheep in Sardinia, so lamb and mutton are both prominent if you head a bit further inland, but goat is popular on the island too, as are pigs. Younger animals are often eaten in simple ways, grilled over open fires, whilst older animals end up as delicious charcuterie like proscuitto, pancetta and coppa.

Fregola con le arselle

Pompia

A unique and unusual citrus fruit native to Sardinia. It has a pleasant sour and bitter flavour, not unlike a grapefruit. It can be larger with a much thicker, more wrinkled skin. It only grows in citrus groves around the town of Siniscola, where it is eaten with lashings of honey, or used it to make liqueur.

Maialino arrosto

As it is in many cultures across the globe, suckling pig is a treasured delicacy in Sardinia, and locals prepare it in their own signature style. Myrtle and juniper are both plentiful on the island, you’ll find them frequently used in Sardinian dishes, and they give a beautiful smokey, menthol aroma to the suckling pig, which is completely wrapped in myrtle leaves before being slow-cooked over juniper wood until melting and tender.

Fregola

It looks like giant couscous, but fregola is actually semolina pasta dough, hand-rolled into little balls and toasted in an oven to give a nice nutty flavour and chewy texture. Although it’s often used in traditional Italian pasta dishes, you’ll find it in a whole host of salads, soups and stews too. Seafood fregola with saffron is Sardinian through and through, a must-try if you’re on the island.

Pane carasau

Also known as carta di musica, literally, music paper, pane carasau was originally found preserved among the remains of Sardinia’s ancient Nuragic civilization, meaning it has been eaten on the island for at least 3,000 years. Baked durum wheat flatbread is separated into two sheets and baked again to create this thin, crispy delicacy. Sardinians eat pane carasau with almost anything, so you’ll find it a welcome presence at almost every meal you eat on the island. The most famous dish made from it, however, is pane frattau, which sees the bread topped with a tomato sauce and a poached egg.

Panadas

Panadas are Sardinian pies, originating from the small town of Assemini, just outside Cagliari. These days the fillings can vary hugely, you’ll find vegetarian and cheese panadas are fairly common, as well as beef and pork, but the most traditional pies have a lamb filling inside, which is fried then baked inside the pastry. If you’re lucky, you might even find very traditional eel panadas around, although they’re the least common of the lot.

Malloreddus

Malloreddus with sausage and fennel ragu

Saffron is very popular in Sardinia thanks to the island’s Catalan and Arabian heritage.

The luxurious, heady spice is used in a wide variety of dishes, but particularly in malloreddus, a small gnocchi or gnocchetti, typical of Sardinia, made with durum wheat flour, water and a touch of ground saffron. It’s often served as malloreddus alla campidanese, where the little gnocchetti are covered in a delicious sausage and tomato ragù, and sprinkled liberally with pecorino cheese.

Seadas

Even when you’ve eaten more than your share of incredible pasta, seafood and roasted meats, there’s always a bit of room for seadas. These gorgeous little dough parcels are deep-fried and drizzled with honey, and the crispy pastry gives way to a soft filling of fresh pecorino. They’re often finished with a bittersweet grating of orange peel, too. Delicious.

Pardulas

These curious little tarts are traditionally associated with Easter, although you can find them year-round in Sardinia's bakeries today. Filled with ricotta, citrus peel and saffron, the filling is a soft, moist sponge bursting with flavour.

Culurgiones

This is Sardinia's most beloved stuffed pasta, hailing from Ogliastra in east Sardinia. A simple dough is made from flour and semolina, before being stuffed with mashed potatoes, grated Pecorino Sardo or Fiore Sardo and fresh mint. They're robust, filling, and perfect for keeping the island's hungry shepherds well-fed. The pasta is shaped to represent an ear of wheat.

More information: Food Republic

Sardinia has to have some of the best seafood on the planet.

I'm a sea urchin freak, and Sardinia's are some of the best I've had.

Andrew Zimmern

THE SONG OF THE SIBYL: THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

The Grandma in the Airport of Strasbourg

The Grandma has finished her travel on The Orient Express. This morning she has arrived to Strasbourg where she has taken a plane to Barcelona, via Palma.  

The Orient Express continues to Paris, Calais and London but The Grandma has returned to Barcelona because today is Christmas Eve and she has a meeting in the Church of Sant Gervasi i Protasi in Bonanova in Barcelona. She's going to listen The Song of the Sibyl sung by Maria del Mar Bonet.

The Song of the Sibyl, in Catalan El Cant de la Sibil·la, is a liturgical drama and a Gregorian chant, the lyrics of which compose a prophecy describing the Apocalypse, which has been performed at some churches of Majorca in Balearic Islands, Alghero in Sardinia and some Catalan churches, in Catalan language on Christmas Eve nearly uninterruptedly since medieval times. The Song of the Sibyl is also sung in Naples in Campania and Marseille in Provence. It was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO on November 16, 2010. 

More information: UNESCO

Several versions, differing in text and music, exist:

-Latin Sibyl, from 10th-11th century, which incorporates fragments of The City of God (XVIII, 23) by St. Augustine.

-Provençal Sibyl, from the 13th century, reflecting influence of troubadour poetry.

-Catalan Sibyl. The latest and most ornamented version. Incorporates popular traditions of Balearic Islands. Refrain of this version is sometimes written for three or four voices.

Delphic Sibyl by Michelangelo

The author of The Song of the Sibyl is unknown. The prophecy was first recorded as an acrostic poem in Greek by bishop Eusebius of Caesarea and later translated into Latin by Saint Augustine in The City of God. It appeared again in the 10th century in different locations across Catalonia, Italy, Castile, and France in the Sermon contra Judeos, later inserted into the reading of the sixth lesson of the second nocturn of matins and was performed as an integral part of the liturgy.

This chant was originally sung in Latin and under the name of Judicii Signum, but from the 13th on, versions in Catalan are found.

These early Catalan versions of the Judici Signum were not directly translated from Latin. Instead, they all come from a previous adaptation in Provençal, which proves the huge popularity this song must have had in the past.

More information: The Song of Sibyl in Barcelona

Amongst the Catalan texts which come from this common root, there is a 14th-century Codex kept in the Archives of the Majorcan Diocese, which was rediscovered in 1908. Oral transmission and the lack of written scripts has caused the various old texts in the vernacular to suffer many modifications over time, which has led to a diversity of versions.

The Song of the Sibyl was almost totally abandoned throughout Europe after the Council of Trent, held in 25 sessions from 1545 to 1563, declared its performance was forbidden. Nevertheless, it was restored on Mallorca as soon as in 1575.

The Grandma in Sant Gervasi i Protasi, Bonanova

Originally, The Song of the Sibyl was sung in a Gregorian melody and, as it can be seen in the codex previously mentioned, the musical accompaniment that was played in Majorca, with the exception of some variations, was the same documented in other places across the Iberian Peninsula. Today, it cannot be ascertained when The Song of the Sibyl was sung to this Gregorian melody, but most likely until the 16th or 17th century. 

Oral transmission of the song caused, as it did with the text, the birth of different variations and models. The interest this chant produced amongst early Musicologists and Folklorists of the 19th century led to the transcription of the different known versions of the song. The versions still played nowadays take these transcriptions as model.

More information: History Learning Site

In the Renaissance, the Gregorian melody of the Song was set to polyphonic music by various composers, a common practice during that period. Two of these works, both for four voices, can be found in the Cancionero de la Colombina, a Spanish manuscript from the second half of the 15th century. The text in them is an abridged version of the Song, in the Castilian language.

The song was originally sung by a Presbyter, although this figure was later replaced by a boy. Even though the Song is supposed to be sung by a Sibyl woman, prophetess, for many centuries women were not allowed to sing in church.

Maria del Mar Bonet & Lautaro Rosas

Today, in most temples in which the song is interpreted, it is still sung by a boy, although in some cases it is sung by either a little girl or a woman. In the performance, the singer walks up to the Altar escorted by two or more altar boys carrying wax candles. Once there, the singer greets the crucifix, turns around, and begins the song. The song is sung a cappella and in a solo voice. In some churches, organ music or either modern choral interludes are introduced between one verse and the next.

The costume used to perform the song is rather similar in all churches, at least around Majorca, where it is performed. It consists of a white or coloured tunic, sometimes embroidered around the neck and the hem, and usually, a cape, which is sometimes replaced with a second tunic. The head is covered with a cap of the same colour. The singer holds a sword in his hands, which is held erect during the whole song. Once the song is over, the singer draws a cross in the air with the sword, turns around to the crucifix once again, usually bows, and afterwards is escorted away from the altar by the same boys.

More information: Maria del Mar Bonet

The song starts with an introduction, the melody of which differs from the rest of the song. In some performances, the song ends with the introductory melody as well.

The text is not standard, but late Medieval Catalan. Some verses are attributed to the 14th-century Mallorcan writer, Anselm Turmeda, who translated into Catalan the Judicii Signum, Book of the Final Judgement, on which the composition is based.

A Catalan version was recorded by Maria del Mar Bonet in 1979 on her album Saba de terrer, and by the vocal ensemble Obsidienne in 1995. 

 Great fire from the heaven will come down;
seas, fountains and rivers, all will burn.
Fish will scream loudly and in horror
losing their natural delights.

The Song of the Sibyl