Those with a sweet tooth will definitely appreciate Gallura’s desserts, based on local products.
Gallura’s amaretti biscuits, made with almonds, are especially well-liked, as well as papassini – called ‘pabassinas’ in the area of Monte Acuto: these iced diamond-shaped biscuits contain walnuts and raisins. An old traditional dessert, pan’e saba is named after the cooked, concentrated grape must (called ‘saba’) that is used to prepare it. Gallura’s formaggelle are an Easter dessert filled with raisins and ricotta flavoured with lemon zest. Acciuleddi, typically prepared for Carnival, are made of braided dough, which is then deep-fried and served with honey and sugar. Even though they are classic Christmas pastries, cucciuleddi di meli are prepared all year round with honey: among the most complicated desserts to make, they are typical of Gallura’s rural culture. Tiriccas are crisp pastries filled with saba and can also be found in the area of Monte Acuto: here, the local variant is called cuppulati. Nougat is perhaps the most representative sweet of the whole Sardinia and gave rise to a true art form in this region: in particular, the Sardinian recipe differs from others in that it uses honey instead of sugar. You should also taste baci d’angelo (‘angel kisses’) – biscuits filled with almonds, sugar, and lemon or orange zest – and sa niuledda, Christmas biscuits with orange zest, almonds, pepper, and honey typical of the area of Monte Acuto. Bread, essentialin the Mediterranean and local diet, comes in several varieties in Gallura: from pane di tricu ruju – the red wheat bread used for Gallura-style soup – to holiday bread, richly decorated and consumed during family lunches; from durum wheat bread to spianata, perfect with local cheeses and cold meats; last but not least, the so-called spianata su pane ladu, a variantused for Monte Acuto’s soup. Carasau is a typical bread prepared weekly in Gallura’s stazzi and stands out for its freshness and softness. In the area of Monte Acuto, whose culture is shaped by transhumance, carasau is a twice-baked bread: it can be stored for months, and a bit of water is enough to restore its softness.