Cascà alla carlofortina

✔️ Among the most popular dishes of the Sardinian island of Carloforte, San Pietro, is the cous cous alla carlofortina. Also known as Cascà a Tabarkin, this dish is inspired by the Arab cuisine of Tabarca, a Tunisian African islet, where the Ligurians moved in the first half of the 16th century and their descendants settled in Carloforte in 1738.

✅ It was during their time on Tunisian soil (first on the island of Tabarca, as coral fishermen, and later in Tunis, as slaves) that the Carlofortines first got to try this delicious food.

👉 Nella lingua tabarchina con il termine Cascà o Cashcà si indica sia la pietanza, sia la couscoussiera, il recipiente in terracotta forellato dove la semola viene cotta a vapore.

✅ This dish is prepared on the feast of St Charles on 4 November and in April, on the occasion of the festival.

The recipe is based on durum wheat semolina, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, chickpeas, pork (bacon) and spices. The semolina is worked with a twisting motion of the palm of the hand (arundiò a sémmua) and turned into granules, as uniform as possible (scucuzù). To prevent it from clumping, it is moistened with water from time to time and then dipped in oil before steaming. The vegetables are browned separately and then added to the cous cous. (👉 Find out the recipe, HERE: https://tinyurl.com/35frmau6) QUI)

✅ ‘Cascà di Carloforte’ is undoubtedly a simple culinary preparation, but dense with tradition and culture. This dish represents a community's ability to adapt and integrate, as well as their resilience in the face of difficulties and shortcomings. It also suggests how much it is possible to tell a story through a recipe. Over time, it has become the main dish during significant celebrations, particularly patronal festivities, and is a speciality to be offered to guests from other places, a symbol of hospitality and conviviality.