Cooking

In traditional Sardinia, the oven had different characteristics depending on the relative area to which it belonged.

In the Campidano, and in general in the hilly and lowland areas, the oven, with a dome resting on a parallelepiped with a square base, was preferably placed outside the house, in sa lolla or in sa dom” and on vorru. In the villages of the central mountains, where biscuit bread was made.

The oven normally opened onto the kitchen, as in Ogliastra, while in Barbagia it was entirely inside the house, without a chimney and low, so as to adapt to the posture of a coidora sitting on the floor.

The cooking phase, as on the other hand that of leavening, was considered to be particularly delicate and it was feared that the success of the operations could be affected by forms of magical aggression. It was considered necessary, therefore, to resort to protective rites capable of reversing all forms of negativity.

The introduction of bread into the oven was preceded and followed by cross signs (often made with the broom used to remove the ash and/or with the shovel used to bake it), prayers, acts of purification, invocation to the saints. Not infrequently, before the bread was baked, it was customary in many towns on the island to “baptize” the oven, throwing a handful of salt into it.

Among the most invoked saints was Santa Rosa “In nòmini de Santa Rosa,/fundu bellu e faci gratziosa” ('In the name of Santa Rosa,/beautiful fund and graceful face').

Very frequent, once bread was introduced, were the prayers addressed to Saint Anthony the Abbot, otherwise known as Sant'Antoni 'e su fogu, to intercede so that the bread would not burn.

Update

22/6/2024 - 15:55