Sardinia

Famous foods of Sardina
Carta de musica
Literally, music paper. It's a thin, crisp, circular flatbread. Also called pane carasau by inlanders and pane fresa by coastal denizens.

Pecorino Sardo
Sardinia's most famous ewe's milk cheese. Similar to (and sometimes sold abroad as) pecorino Romano.

Spit-roasted meats
Traditionally a whole animal (often suckling pig, baby lamb and wild game) is cooked over aromatic herbs and wood charcoal.

Panada
Flaky pasta pies typically stuffed with minced meat or eel.

Malloreddus
Small gnocchi, normally served with a well- seasoned tomato sauce.

Bottarga
Salted mullet or tuna roe is pressed into a firm mass, then thinly sliced. Eaten as an appetizer or used as a flavoring agent for main dishes.

Burrida
Sardinia's version of the mainland's Burrida fish stew.

Culingiones
Pouch-shaped ravioli. Commonly stuffed with spinach and pecorino cheese.

Famous Sardinia beverages
Cannonau
Strong red wine. Good with roasted meats.

Mirtu liquor
A potent after-dinner digestive made from myrtle berries.

More Sardinia cuisine tips & insights
Distinctive
The cuisine of Sardinia is the most distinctive of Italy's regional cuisines, mainly due to the island's geographic isolation from Italy's mainland.

The two cuisines of Sardinia
The cuisine of Sardinia can be divided into two cooking styles:

• Coastal cuisine
  Defined by a broad variety of seafood.
• Inland cuisine
  It encompasses undulating farmland, pristine woodlands and rugged mountains in Sardinia's interior. The inland cuisine is especially renowned for spit-roasted meats. Wild mushrooms and game are also culinary stars.

For the best of each of the two Sardinian cuisines, eat their foods only within their respective geographical areas.

Fresh and simple
Sardinian cooks insist on fresh ingredients. And, their cooking style is less complex than in other regions, which suits Sardinian diners. They want their foods cooked relatively simple and straightforward so as not to overwhelm the food's natural flavor.

Sardegna
In Italian, Sardinia is spelled Sardegna and pronounced sahr-DAY-nyuh.

Best city for gourmets
Cagliari is the top all-around food city in Sardinia. Alghero is the island's runner-up.
Criteria: Includes cooking, dining, food markets, cooking ingredients, cooking schools, beverages.