The flavours of Ogliastra, land of centenarians
The Ogliastra, the mountainous region of central-eastern Sardinia around Lanusei and Tortolì, is one of the "Blue Zones" of the world, famous for the exceptional longevity of its inhabitants, and its cuisine, simple and genuine, based on the products of the land and of sheep farming, is part of this secret. Two specialities in particular symbolise the island's tradition.
Pane carasau, also called "carta da musica", music paper, for its thinness and the crunchy sound it makes when broken, is the traditional bread of the Sardinian shepherds: discs of durum wheat dough baked twice in a wood-fired oven, so thin and dry that they could be kept for months during transhumance. It is eaten plain, with oil and salt as "pane guttiau", or as "pane frattau", softened in broth and layered with tomato sauce, pecorino and a poached egg. Culurgiones are the typical stuffed pasta of Ogliastra, recognised as a PGI: fresh pasta parcels with a filling of potatoes, pecorino, mint and garlic, closed by hand with a characteristic ear of wheat pattern, a skill passed down from grandmothers to granddaughters; in the past they were prepared for the Day of the Dead as a symbol of protection. They are served with tomato sauce and grated pecorino. Other specialities of the area are the roast suckling pig, the "porceddu", and the honey of the Ogliastra mountains.
Tip: many agriturismi in Ogliastra offer courses to learn how to close culurgiones; the bakeries of the Barbagia sell carasau in large packets.
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