Filindeu ( Sardinian: ''su filindeu'', "Thread of the Gods") is a rare

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ar ...

from the

Barbagia Barbagia (; sc, Barbàgia or ) is a geographical, cultural and natural region of inner Sardinia, contained for the most part in the province of Nuoro and Ogliastra and located alongside the Gennargentu massif. The name comes from Cicero, wh ...

region of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. It is made by pulling and folding semolina dough into very thin threads, which are laid in three layers on a tray called a ''fundu'' and dried to form textile-like sheets. The dried sheets are broken into pieces and served in a mutton broth with

pecorino Pecorino cheeses are hard Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk. The name "" derives from ''pecora'' which means sheep in Italian. Overview Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) stat ...

cheese. Filindeu is listed on the

Ark of Taste The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement. The Ark is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distin ...

History

For centuries, during the nights of May 1st and October 4th, the rural sanctuary of Francis of Assisi from Lula, built where, in the 17th century, a Nuorese bandit had built a small church as an

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

for having been cleared of the charges, has been reached by the faithful who set out on foot from the church of the Rosario in

Nuoro Nuoro ( or less correctly ; sc, Nùgoro ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene. It is the capital of the province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,347 (2011), ...

. Upon arrival, after a walk of several kilometers, the priors offer the pilgrims a hearty dish of soup. The preparation of pasta for the soup, made exclusively by hand, is handed down by women from generation to generation and in modern times there are few, ten in all, the ladies who keep the once more widespread tradition.

References

Cuisine of Sardinia Types of pasta Ark of Taste foods {{ingredient-stub