Traditional sweets of Sardinia
Seadas or “seada” is a traditional Sardinian dessert, made from fried pastry filled with delicate lemon-scented cheese and topped either with warm honey or sugar. Normally, the cheese used for Seadas is a young Pecorino (sheep cheese).
Amaretto is a cookie with the taste of bitter and sweet almonds and a dash of lemon. It is a bit crisp outside and very soft inside. Absolutely to try, one of the best cookies in the world.
Pan' e saba is a traditional sweet which is baked in autumn, for the first of november (all saints day) and during grape harvest, when also the liquor called sapa is made. Sapa is one of the ingredient for this sweet. In addition, different sorts of nuts and raisins give the sweet taste to this dessert, typical in the region of Gallura.
Papassini are cookies which usually are filled with almonds and raisins and a bit of orange. Every region on the island has its own papassini recipe and they all are different. The basic dough is always the same, obtained with eggs, lard, flour, sugar and milk. Externally the so-called "cappa" (hood) is applied, made with sugar and egg white. Sugar pearls or chocolate chips can be applied on top of it, as desired.
Casadinas (formagelle) are a typical easter time sweet. It is a paste with a filling of the following ingredients: ricotta-cheese or fresh cheese, zest of lemon and orange, vaniglia and raisins. The dough is stuffed with the filling, and the cookies get baked in the oven. You can also add some honey or sugar as topping.
Tiricche is a sweet typical from the north of Sardina. Traditionally, it was also a sweet for easter, but today you can find it the whole year in the pastry shops. The dough is filled with sweet almonds, sapa (liquor) and zest of orange. This sweet is baked in the oven on a low temperature.
Sospiri is a sweet from a small town called Ozieri in the north of Sardinia. Another sweet with a base of almonds, honey, sugar and zest of lemon. Around this paste a sugar icing is made. It is a sweet, which was used for weddings and other ceremonies. Today, the pastry shops bake different kind of sospiris, e.g. covered with chocolate instead of sugar, and with walnuts instead of almonds, and in many other ways.
Mustazzoleddus is another cookie with sweet almonds, a typical Christmas time sweet. It is a biscuit made with a dough of sweet almonds, eggs, lemon zest and sugar. On the top there is an icing of sugar that can be decorated with other sweet ingredients on top, like liquid chocolate.
Aranzada is a typical sweet from the Nuoro area. The preparation of the sweets takes long time. Firstly you have to peel the orange, in order to use just the upper part of the peel. In addition, you have to put the peel in water for 5 days to get rid of the bitter taste. Afterwards, the peel must be cut in thin slices and get cooked in honey and sugar. The cooked peel must be mixed with sweet almond pieces and rest to cool down. Finally, the sweet can be cut in pieces of the size you prefer: enjoy!
Pistiddu is a sweet cookie from Dorgali. In the meanwhile, in the whole island you can find different recipes of it. The traditional version is a paste filled with the "sapa" liquor and fresh orange zest, which resembles an orange marmalade. These cookies normally are made for the festivity of Saint Antonio, in January.
These exceptional desserts are to be tasted inside the villas or nearby, on the occasion of festivals and village festivals.
Some villas that are the ideal starting point for this kind of discovery are:
Villa Smeralda - 12 sleeps, in Portobello di Gallura, a great base to explore the surroundings and north Sardinia, a place rich in traditional sweets recipes.
The property has got private pool and an amazing panoramic sea view;
Villa Lara D'Oriente - can accommodate up to 8 people, in Budoni, great location to discover the north-west coast, the Gallura and the Baronia region, where traditions and amazing recipes still survive.
The villa has got a private pool and is close to the sea.