Malloreddus, sometimes Italianized as gnocchetti sardi, are a type of

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, are som ...

typical of

Sardinian cuisine The cuisine of Sardinia is the traditional cuisine of the island of Sardinia, and the expression of its culinary art. It is characterised by its own variety, and by the fact of having been enriched through a number of interactions with the other ...

. They have the shape of thin ribbed shells, about long, and are made of semolina flour and

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

. They are usually eaten with different sauces Malloreddus are typical of the area of Medio Campidano (Province of

South Sardinia The Province of South Sardinia ( it, provincia del Sud Sardegna; sc, provìntzia de Sud Sardigna) is an Italian province of Sardinia instituted on 4 February 2016. It includes the suppressed provinces of Carbonia-Iglesias and Medio Campidano, ...

), but correspond to equivalent types of pasta, made with similar techniques, but in smaller sizes, in other parts of Sardinia and also known as " macarrones de punzu", cigiones, macarones caidos, cravaos. Cassulli from Carloforte (of Ligurian origin) can be reminiscent of malloreddus. Cassulli, in

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 ...

, are found in the

archipelago of Sulcis The Archipelago of Sulcis (in Italian ''Arcipelago del Sulcis'' or ''Sulcitano'') is located off the cost of Sardinia, and is part of the Province of South Sardinia. The archipelago is in land area. Many of the inhabitants are descended from the ...

Etymology

The term malloreddu (plural malloreddus) could derive from the Latin mallolus, which means "trunk of dough",

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

. A second possible etymology would make the name derive from a diminutive of the word malloru, which in Sardinian campidanese (southern and central-southern Sardinia) means

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

. Consequently, malloreddus means little calves.

History

Malloreddus have always been the most prepared traditional dish in

in all the most important occasions, both in festivals and village fairs, and during weddings. Since ancient times housewives have prepared this type of pasta. The origin is to be found in the millenary scheme of the peasant cultivation-alimentation in the Mediterranean area, mainly based on the cultivation of wheat. The manual processing of malloreddus in the home was done by mixing durum wheat semolina with water, and rolled up strips of pasta about long, which were cut into cubes. Then the shape was obtained by pressing the cubes of dough against the end of a straw basket, called su ciuliri (the sieve) in order to get them striped, or to have them smooth it was enough to simply press them against a wooden base. The result was a pot-bellied product that in the imagination of the agro-pastoral world took the form of small calves.

Dishes with malloreddus

The classic dish of Sardinian cuisine is malloreddus alla campidanese. In this dish, a ragout is made by cutting Sardinian sausage into small pieces; the pieces are fried in oil with chopped onion, then boiled for about an hour with tomato sauce; a few strands of

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...

are then added, ten minutes before the end of cooking. The boiled gnocchetti are seasoned with this sauce and grated Sardinian pecorino cheese. Originally saffron was used directly in the dough of malloreddus, now instead it is added at the end together with the sauce.

References

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External links

* * {{Cite web, title=Immagini di Malloreddus, url=http://www.sardegnadigitallibrary.it/index.php?s=17&v=9&na=1&n=24&nodesc=2&ric=1&c1=malloreddus&idtipo=4&xsl=602&c=4461 Cuisine of Sardinia Pasta dishes Italian cuisine