Sardinians never tire of emphasizing their “autonomy” from the rest of Italy. They have their own language and customs that are different from Italian. And most importantly – culinary traditions! Anton will learn how to cook sharks, will try casu marzu cheese, find out how sardinians feel about sardines and much more!
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[Music] I had great expectations with regard to my journey to Sardinia a picturesque land in the middle of the western part of the Mediterranean Sea officially known as an autonomous region of Italy that’s what makes it special its autonomy sardinians never missed the opportunity to emphasize that they have their own language their own customs and traditions that are different from Italy and most importantly their culinary traditions and recipes are absolutely unique and won’t be found anywhere else some are even forbidden by European law today we will learn how to catch and cook a shark we’ll find out what sardinians think about sardines and furthermore we’ll participate in the small law breaking activity actually that’s what we’ll start with do you know what the Codex elementarius means it sounds like a secret organization leaping from the pages of one of Dan Brown’s books in fact this codex affects our lives much more than any secret Lodge it’s a collection of internationally recognized standards relating to food the European Union applies very strict norms and standards when it comes to National products including the traditional Sardinian cheese kasu marsu at one point its production and sale was banned completely we simply have to taste it and find out why it was made [Music] illegal so somewhere in Sardinia I can’t be more precise than that I met Angela mamelli who makes kazum Maru solely for her own [Music] consumption okay we don’t really need this we’re not committing any crime we’re just breaking the law a little [Music] bit I can see them you know they can leap Prett good what can I [Music] try I’ll try not to have too many maggots on my sandwich after all I’m not too used to it yet tell me how did this unusual food emerge I think it happened by accident a long long time ago the exact date is of course unknown some Shepherds peino which is a sheep’s milk cheese over matured or went rotten apparently there was no other food around so they started eating what was available and gradually TI to liking it this cheese has a very particular taste with a very strong aftertaste so if you have some of it in the morning The Taste might linger in your mouth all day long kazum marsu is translated as rotten cheese as you can see the life is very vibrant within it maggots are swarming and new flies are joining the chorus of mature ones fil Cass the scientific name for a cheese fly they don’t have to forge for food since they live in it this cheese is served with bread and a strong red wine which as they say helps to calm down the maggots I suppose some might be put off by the sight of maggots but let’s be fair they are very very small nothing like fish eggs just small harmless fly [Music] eggs can you tell me how to prepare it and what the actual role of maggots in the processes at first we make a normal cheese from sheep’s milk and we leave it in a warm and dark place for the flies to come and lay their eggs in the cheese the eggs hatch and then the larvae begin to eat through the cheese and the acid from the maggot’s digestive system breaks down the cheese fats and make the texture of the cheese [Music] soft we’re forced to admit that the treat contains how to say the metabolic B products of insects now I understand why katum Matsu was having problems with the law moreover there’s a chance that you can become ill when eating it so you eat the cheese and the cheese eats you when the larvi reach your stomach there are other possible side effects like allergies and food poisoning those maggots can defend themselves sen Angela why do they jump they’re trying to run away they can jump up to 15 cm that’s why we recommend that you wear glasses when you eat the cheese if there’s enough time the maggots might hatch into flies and leave the cheese okay so now we have all the reasons to use the biolog term and entitled this cheese a culinary endemic at present the European Union seemed to have adopted a more favorable approach to this cheese since the sardinians persisted in making it but it is still not available in the shops and the Islanders seem to enjoy referring to it as band cheese which as it appears only emphasizes their independence it’s like they’re trying to say they ban it but we’ll still have it our way I must also add that in my favorite book extreme Cuisine this dish has an honorary place I wouldn’t recommend to eat it but to taste it [Music] definitely maggot cheese is not the only food that is only available in Sardinia there’s also a carnivorous burrito the main ingredient of this burrito is sharks meat yes this fish is hardly eaten in Europe but sardinians are exceptional people to try a shark burrito I headed to the wonderful San benedetto the main Market of the capital of cadi and the biggest fish market in all of [Music] Italy it’s not a market it’s some sort of Neptune’s Paradise so many Treasures from the sea look you have Dorado octopus cuttlefish 4,000 sare M of fresh fish and seafood the sellers are real actors performing for Their audience the lines are as follows our produce is fresh not because it hasn’t gone off yet but because it’s still alive buyers should be on alert not to be bitten or pinched [Music] okay but mine is a shark it’s got teeth look it’s a shk it’s a shark yes yes yeah yours is much better right yours is much better but this is really a proper shark I mean it’s got shark teeth even though they’re small and look at its skin they make various wallets and holders out of shark skin it’s easily recognizable by touch also this type of shark is used in a dish known as a burrito here burrito yes it’s uh boiled and then fried on a pan with olive oil and walnuts they say it tastes good and though it’s very small it still looks rather menacing like allar yes he says that they also remove the liver and also fry it and it tastes delicious gucha right you will never find this dish in any guide book which makes one feel slightly nervous however having tasted maggot cheese it makes no sense to be afraid of some shark gucho or cat shark can be found in the straight near Kar they are rather small not exceeding 1 m in length elsewhere fishermen throw gucho overboard while here they take it to the market this fish is cheap nobody seems to like it apart from the sardinians there’s only one recipe in the world to cook it but I’ll tell you about that later given today’s menu we simply have to select a matching original secret authentically Sardinian [Music] garnish [Music] like all Italians the citizens of this island prefer pasta as a side dish however their pasta is special it looks more like a grain and is called fragula they claim that about 30 years ago no one in the rest of Italy had even heard of fragula and even now sardinians like to emphasize the original nature of this food which was brought to the island by the genoise seafarers on their way back from a [Music] crusade a special fragula cooking method is passed from generation to generation in the house of Senora Antonia hello there here Anton and Antonia we’ll teach you how to cook a unique Sardinia pasta frula you need to take a little bit of water just a little bit okay and then you sprinkle flour all over it and press it with your Palms to remove any kind of lumps you have to make it delicate I can’t seem to do it delic Senor Antonia where does the strange texture of this pasta come from I guess it’s just a tradition and you can see straight away that it’s ours Sardinian Oh I thought you were scolding me I don’t know all the Italian words but it’s probably not a compliment oh come on look what you’ve done you added too much water tell me how many years have you cooked this pasta [Music] for it’s been 20 years and I’ve only done it for 3 minutes no wonder it’s not going that smoothly my grandmother she’s the one who taught me how to make it see all I have is a little round bun it’s too big little buns are cute and round and delicious and who doesn’t like little buns it’s as if we’re making breadcrumbs straight away skipping the bread stage Senora Antonia says it’s easy to make this pasta I personally think that frula is much more difficult than regular pasta with regular pasta you just need to roll the dough and cut it here you have to make all these hand movements and as you can see with no prior experience I failed that explains why this product is not that popular it’s much more difficult to prepare than regular pasta here you are that’s enough for four portions thank you very much I in return can give you my little round bun you can bake it and give it to someone as a present but look out it can roll away thank you and that’s how the exchange of culinary Traditions happens the food we’ve gathered are cooked only in little restaurants frequented by the locals according to my observations a regular lunch lasts about 4 hours they stay at the table talking and eating as well as drinking a very strong local Spirit called iron Rod that they hide under the counter this liquor is of course forbidden that’s why they bury bottles filled with it in the ground until needed hence the name at times you can only find the buried treasure with the aid of a metal [Music] detector the gucha shark is not easy to cook it’s only edible if cooked in a special way first it is boiled and then a mixture of olive oil vinegar and walnuts is fried in a frying pan this marinade is then poured over the fish after which it is placed in the fridge for 2 to 3 days the fragola is fried in a mixture of olive oil and white wine then parsley garlic and seafood are added as a Next Step they pour water and the bit of tomato juice over it and steam it for about 15 minutes at a low heat all that’s left is to add the marinated shark and Lunch is [Music] ready a shark can gulp down any human being but not every human being can return the favor tell me why do you eat sharks we are Islanders we started eating gucho simply because they are there in the straight I think that in the olden days it was mainly food for the poor it’s still very cheap but it makes a unique local dish all the ingredients are authentically ours including walnuts vinegar and olive oil to me the burrito tastes more like meat to me rather than fish and it has a somewhat sour taste possibly because of the vinegar in which the dish is marinated I’d say it rather Kindles the appetite rather than quenches it and that’s why it’s most likely used as a starter preceding the main course tell me how many methods of cooking a shark do you know just one there’s no other way that you can eat it and another culinary Pinnacle of Sardinia Fula pasta can I try of course go ahead fle is never eaten alone either with seafood or Sala but never alone anyway I’m glad that’s the way they do it as now I can enjoy wonderful frula with seafood to be honest burrito is probably not everyone’s cup of tea while frula is delicious just think of it all the ingredients are both edible and [Music] legal what do you waiting for the sardines sardines sure sardines you live in Sardinia so I expect to be served sardines here every child knows that Sardinia is Full of Sardines you just don’t want to give it to me admit it admit it Senor caboni look that’s how you spell sarda and that’s how you spell sardine these are two different words uh you took me by surprise it turns out that for the citizens of Sardinia these are two different words and they have nothing to do with sardines in one word Sardinian Cuisine is full of surprises who could imagine that you can’t find sardines here and that they would treat you to a shark [Music] instead as you well know I like to present a recipe from every Journey but this time I’m facing a challenge first of all I can’t teach you how to make maggot cheese or give you advice on how to serve a shark either and to be able to make frula the local pasta you need to practice for at least 3 years fortunately strolling up and down the island I discovered a great legal recipe which on top of that does not contain sea Predators hey yeah can you read in Russian yeah I can oh can I have a look it’s written in Russian you can’t read it right who wrote it I did aha very interesting he wrote it but can’t read it Pao Simon is a famous Michelin star Chef he’s had the opportunity to cook for Madonna Ringo Star and gwenneth paltro his recipes are published in various countries so he’s just received an advanced copy of his book from Russia exclusively for the world of taste Paulo will disclose his special tomato sauce recipe to us tell me how did you discover this recipe I made it up naturally it’s based on the traditional tomato sauce recipes what do you think is tomato sauce an important ingredient I mean what role does it play in a meal it role is Paramount it’s the basis of Italian cuisine well you know it sometimes does happen that one Cooks a beautiful dish using rare and fresh ingredients and then pours regular tomato sauce over it direct from the shop rather strange that’s why today we’ll be learning how to make our own tomato sauce right you see my recipe is special because I first saut the onion when it is caramelized and sweet I add carrots and celery tomato tastes slightly sour so this flavor is neutralized by the sweetness of the onion basil adds Aroma to it [Music] wonderful and of course all oil yep everything happens rather fast and so that’s the last stage of the cooking process and now look at this seeve [Music] wow you know of course that nowadays everyone uses a blender but Senor Paulo decided to demonstrate an authentic way of making a sauce using this quaint device can you [Music] see and so the sauce is ready you can use it with any dish pasta pizza [Music] meat let’s try perf it is essentially a dish in its own right and very tasty I have no doubt in its beneficial properties either given its ingredients I think you simply have to write down the recipe of this sauce we’ll need 600 G of fresh tomatoes and the same amount of canned tomatoes 40 G of olive oil 10 G of butter 100 G of onion carrots and celery five Basel leaves ground pepper salt and a couple of cloves of garlic saute the onion in a pan in a mix of olive oil and butter for about 10 minutes then add all the vegetables garlic and fresh tomatoes Steam for 10 more minutes at low heat finally add canned peeled tomatoes and basil leave it to simmer for 20 minutes even if you’re not hungry when you start the wonderful Aroma will evoke your appetite Paulo insists that the cooked sauce should be poured through a sea but I think it won’t make a big difference if we blend it now add salt pepper and enjoy which you can do with simple white [Music] bread Italy can be compared to a patchwork of different regions which join together to form one state only 150 years ago therefore it’s not at all surprising that sardinians like to emphasize their independence there are culinary distinctive character is a way to accentuate their uniqueness and individuality sometimes they’re even prepared to break the law in order to follow their passion but food lovers don’t mind that at all throughout its long history the island has been invaded by many sardinians even have a proverb those who come from the sea either wants to raid us or wants to impose their rules but the Islanders are stubborn they hold on to their ways and eat what they please even if it’s not really edible or if it’s against the [Music] law yeah