Bread has a long tradition in Sardinia

Most Germans believe that nowhere else offers such a wide and excellent selection of bread as Germany. I wouldn't disagree. I too love our white, brown and black bread in its countless varieties. Nevertheless, I always enjoy being served bread in Sardinia that tastes so different from German bread, but goes perfectly with Sardinian cuisine and is therefore simply wonderful. A prime example is the delicious crispbread of the Sardinian shepherds, pane carasau, with its ‘luxury variations’, pane guttiau (pane carasau, toasted and brushed with olive oil) or pane frattau, a dish in which pane carasau is used like lasagne sheets. Of course, Sardinia does not only offer ‘two-dimensional’ bread, and the three-dimensional varieties are often particularly artistic, as anyone who has ever seen a Pane de Pasca will know.

Amazingly diverse: Sardinian bread culture

Of course, just like here, bread is also a staple food in Sardinia. There are many variations and recipes here too. For example, anyone visiting the island around Easter can admire the ‘Pani de Pasca’, the artistic and imaginative Easter breads. The fact that German bread culture is so different from Sardinian bread culture is probably due to the fact that diet is determined by the resources and needs of a country. That is why no one is surprised that in regions without agriculture (such as the Arctic), animal products form the basis of the diet. In Sardinia, which was still characterised by pastoral farming until the last century, the diet is logically based on dairy products and meat. Here, a bread culture had to be developed that took into account the needs of shepherds. They were on the move with their herds for weeks and months at a time and needed robust, durable bread.

Pane Carasau – The delicious ‘crispbread’ of Sardinian shepherds

The result was Pane Carasau, also known by Italians as ‘carta musica’ (music paper). It is a very thin, dry flatbread, similar to our crispbread, and has an extremely long shelf life. It is baked from durum wheat flour, yeast, salt and water. Thirty years ago, I could still watch the women of my small village baking bread for the whole village once a month in a communal effort. Nowadays, hardly anyone goes to this trouble, because Pane Carasau can be bought cheaply and in good quality in any supermarket.

Before eating, Pane Carasau is briefly soaked in water. This brings out the aroma of the bread particularly well, and you can fill it with whatever you like and roll it up. Sardinians also like to use Pane Carasau for dipping in sauces.

Pane Guttiau: The ‘luxury version’ of Pane Carasau

When Pane Carasau is brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted in the oven or on the grill, it is called Pane Guttiau. Sprinkled with a little sea salt, it tastes simply delicious and is extremely popular with tourists in Sardinia. Pane Guttiau is now also available ready-packed. If you don't want to toast it, you can simply nibble on it as a delicious and healthier alternative to potato crisps, evoking memories of or anticipation for Sardinia.

Pane Frattau: The ‘shepherd's lasagne’

‘Pane Frattau’, on the other hand, is the Sardinian version of lasagne. Here,  pane carasau is layered: bread, tomato sauce and cheese alternate, and a raw egg is placed on top. Pop it in the oven, and you have a delicious and filling meal. This is how Sardinian shepherds learned to make the most of the meagre ingredients available to them.

Today, these simple shepherd's dishes are rightly considered delicacies that have become real restaurant favourites among summer visitors and are a must in every good restaurant on the island.

With a Sardinian ‘Adiosu’, I bid you farewell for today.

Yours, Joachim Waßmann