LORIGHITTAS

The first written sources about this typical product of Sardinia date back to the sixteenth century. In a document about the economic activities of the region, written to inform the King of Spain about the situation of the island, it was mentioned a particular type of dried pasta braided in the shape of a ring.

This first course for years has been connected to the feast which is celebrated on the first of November (All Saints’ Day), it was a habit for the women of the country to gather all together in the kitchens, both on the same day of the feast as well as in the previous days in order to spend time together and to cook this particular type of dry pasta. It was made by kneading semolina flour and water and then woven on wooden tables, and still follows the original recipe. After, the preparation the lorighittas were placed in the sun in wicker baskets in a very orderly way to let them dry. While they were waiting for the pasta to dry, the women dedicated themselves to the preparation of condiments to enrich and make this product more tasty; the main condiments that were used were tomato sauce or a ragout of free-range cockerel meat or with pork or wild boar meat, especially in the richest families.

The preparation, as previously mentioned, is exclusively done by hand and requires a lot of time. For example, just to make the dough it takes more than 40 minutes to gradually add salted water to the dough and make it softer. Tradition wants young women to take care of this preparation and to hand it down to the following generations mainly because of the Sardinian pastoral culture which was very popular mainly in smaller towns according to which men had to stay in the fields and women had to take care of household chores.

As for, the name (lorighittas) there are various stories that have been passed down through the centuries. The most famous one affirms that it is called like this because its shape reminds a little bit the excrescences present on the neck of the goats but also of the pigs.

Moreover, since 2006, the city council, thanks to a program financed by the EU, has launched a project, Asso Lori, which deals with the valorization, relaunching and safeguarding of this unique pasta in the world, thus supporting local producers. Although the pasta is still little known outside Sardinia, consumer demand is increasing. Today lorighittas are a main dish of many Sardinian restaurants and there are many chefs who propose original recipes with products from land and sea. Moreover, the city of Morgongiori continues to dedicate the first Sunday of August to lorighittas in a city festival called Sagra delle lorighittas, in order to show off its precious culinary heritage.