Set right in the middle of the western Mediterranean sea, Sardinia is just a handful of square miles smaller than Sicily, and, as Irish novelist D.H. Lawrence aptly noted, a whole world apart from it. Sardinia’s coastline stretches for 1800 kilometres along an amazing corniche of bright white sandy beaches interspersed with breathtaking cliffs and rocky outcrops. And yet, Sardinians are not a people of seagoers – rather, a people of inland shepherds, farmers, and warriors, if need be. That is why Sardinia’s seawaters are among the world’s cleanest and most beautiful, as the million mainland Italians rushing every year to take a plunge into this small paradise will gladly attest.
Of such an idiosyncratic and unspoiled island only unique food products could be born. Sardinian cuisine reflects its people’s sobriety in every aspect of social life. A tough natural environment has gradually taught them how to make virtue out of necessity, and that has not changed much over the centuries. To these days, the great majority of Sardinian still prefer wholesome foods and shun processed and packaged foods. For the most part, their quest for quality and healthy food has not given in to the lures of mass advertising. As a consequence, Sardinian cuisine revolves mainly around a handful of very simple ingredients but first and foremost around its famous olive oil.