It is only natural that when one studies Sicily, one drifts northward and runs into those two other large islands: Sardinia and Corsica. And one can't but notice how very similar Sardinia and Corsica are to each other, apart from one being French and the other Italian, but also in comparison to Sicily to the south. Apparently Corsica became part of France in 1768 when Genoa sold it to France, long before Garibaldi could liberate it and join it to Italy. Unfortunately Corsica had declared itself a Republic in 1755 but France crushed the republic in 1769. So that is why they speak French in Corsica, although Italian is a regional language.
Both Corsica and Sardinia are islands that look inward towards the mountains rather than out towards the sea, purportedly due to the frequent invasions by the Barbary Pirates (but undoubtedly also by other Europeans). Thus their cuisine centers on sheep and cheese rather than seafood. On the other hand, the invaders of Sicily occupied the island, which was larger and contained fertile land as well as mountains and much of the livelihood remained centered on the sea, although in Sicily there is a rivalry between the developers of the land (farmers and pastoralists) and the fishermen (the hunters and gatherers of the sea). Because of this and because the multiple invaders brought their own cuisine and foodstuffs, the Sicilian cuisine is more varied than that of Sardinia and Corsica.
There's a recently published book on Sardinian cuisine:
Bitter Honey, Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia written by a former London chef who moved to Sardinia a few years ago, Letitia Clark. Many of the recipes are traditional (such as the handmade pasta,
malloreddus) but she injects her own spin on things and does include some seafood as now it is more common, especially with the tourists. And the photographs are lovely. However, I would have liked it if she had put the food glossary at the front of the book and had expounded a bit more on
fregola and
pani carasau. But maybe the English are more familiar with such ingredients than we are here in the United States. And of course, one needs a video to see how to fill and shape the pasta called
culurgioni, a ravioli filled with potatoes, cheese, egg and mint. Thank goodness for YouTube!
Many years ago (2007), I was intrigued by another Sardinian cookbook, Sweet Myrtle & Bitter Honey: The Mediterranean Flavors of Sardinia by Efisio Farris. That's where I first learned about their bitter honey, botarga (the preserved mullet roe), and malloreddus.
But it's always nice to SEE the food and its preparation and that's where, like Sebastian, I could spend my life watching YouTube. Rick Stein in the BBC's
Mediterranean Escapes, visits both Corsica and Sardinia before he continues on to Sicily. In fact he spends relatively little time in Sicily before he moves on to Puglia.
And if you like Rick Stein, you'll be happy to know there's a
Rick Stein's India. Oh those Brits!
