Regional food of Sardinia

A whole host of fish can be enjoyed in Sardinia from lobsters, mussels and sea urchins to tuna, sea bass and red mullet. In spite of being an island, the national dishes here are not fish based. Suckling pig, wild boar and young lambs spit roasted over an open fire are much more a part of Sardinia than fish. Rabbit, game and offal dishes are also popular

The food is generally very fresh, but plain and simple with no strong tasting sauces or embellishments. More often than not they eat their lovely fresh vegetables raw with the cooked meat of the main course. Fresh fruit is the mostly served for dessert followed by little local cakes.

Sardinia certainly produces some lovely cheeses which are popular all over Italy, their Pecorino cheese, made from the whey of the island's sheep milk being one of them.

From here too comes the wafer thin bread called Carta da music (music sheets) which is delicious and more like giant crackers than bread.

The myrtle plant is used extensively in both food and drink. Meat and chicken is wrapped in it whilst cooking over the fire and it is added to meat stews and roasts. Then after eating they drink small glasses of Mirto, a liqueur made from it, to help with digestion.