Malloreddus facts for kids
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| Region or state | Sardegna |
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Malloreddus are a special kind of pasta from Sardinia, an island in Italy. People sometimes call them gnocchetti sardi. They look like small, ribbed shells, about 2 centimeters long. This pasta is made from a special flour called semolina and water. You can enjoy them with many different sauces.
While Malloreddus are most famous in the Medio Campidano area of South Sardinia, similar pastas are made all over the island. These other types might be smaller. Some of their names include "macarones de punzu", cigiones, macarones caidos, and cravaos.
Another pasta, Cassulli from Carloforte, looks a bit like malloreddus. Cassulli pasta is found in the Sulcis islands of Sardinia. It has Ligurian origins.
What's in a Name?
The name malloreddu (or malloreddus for plural) has a few possible meanings. One idea is that it comes from the Latin word mallolus. This word means "trunk of dough" or "dumpling".
Another idea is that the name comes from the Sardinian word malloru. In the southern part of Sardinia, malloru means "bull". So, malloreddus could mean "little calves". This makes sense because of their shape.
A Taste of History
Malloreddus have been a very important traditional dish in Sardinia for a long time. People have always made them for special events. This includes village festivals, fairs, and even weddings. Sardinian families have been preparing this pasta for many centuries.
The history of malloreddus is linked to farming in the Mediterranean area. For thousands of years, people there have grown wheat as a main food source.
In the past, people made malloreddus by hand at home. They would mix durum wheat semolina flour with water. Then, they rolled out long strips of pasta, about 15 centimeters long. These strips were cut into small cubes. To get the ribbed shape, they pressed the dough cubes against a special straw basket. This basket was called su ciuliri, which means "the sieve". If they wanted smooth pasta, they just pressed the cubes against a flat wooden surface. The finished pasta looked a bit plump, like the "little calves" that gave them their name.
Popular Malloreddus Dishes
The most famous dish made with this pasta is called malloreddus alla campidanese. It's a classic Sardinian meal.
To make this dish, people first prepare a special sauce called a ragout. They cut Sardinian sausage into small pieces. These pieces are fried in oil with chopped onion. Then, they cook the sausage and onion in tomato sauce for about an hour. Near the end of cooking, they add a few strands of saffron.
Once the malloreddus pasta is boiled, it's mixed with this rich sauce. Finally, grated Sardinian pecorino cheese is sprinkled on top. Originally, saffron was mixed right into the pasta dough. But now, it's usually added to the sauce at the end.
Other projects
The Libro di cucina on Wikibooks has recipes related to this topic.
