VirtuosoLife - January/February 2008 - (Page 66) GLOBAL GOURMET “Mangia?” asked my husband, gesturing to his mouth. “Si, si!” the boys said in unison, elated and proud. Scenes like this are not uncommon in the still largely isolated region of Sardinia, located about 120 miles west off mainland Italy. This rugged, mountainous island with a population of 1.6 million has always drawn tourists, particularly to its gorgeous coastline and the northeastern Costa Smeralda, famous today for yachts, celebrities, and nightlife. Around the whole island you’ll find clear water in twinkling blues and greens, with shores ranging from powdery pink sand to tiny white pebbles. But it’s the mountains, forests, farms, and fields between these coasts that really define Sardinia – an ancient land of self-described “shepherds, not fishermen,” that produces a varied and distinct cuisine for which it’s worth leaving the Boot. Incidentally, the island was not named for sardines, as people often assume (quite the contrary: Sardines were so named because they were once found in abundance off the island’s coast). It was the Sards, an ancient people of unknown origin, who gave the Clockwise from above: Sardinian staples include a dumpling-shaped pasta called malloreddus, octopus salad, hard cheeses, and crispy pane carasau. 66 V I RT U O S O L I F E SIME/ESTOCK PHOTO
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