Su filindeu - cooks in sheets - not in strands
Biannually, nightwalkers in Sardinia trek from the city of Nuoro to the village of Lula under the moon and stars. They walk as one great army, eschewing sleep and ignoring shelter— by the hundreds, even thousands. Thirty kilometers later, at the entrance of Santuario di San Francesco, they reach their destination.
Why the pilgrimage? To eat the most coveted pasta in the world. Su filindeu—meaning "threads of God" in Sardo—it's so delicate, like angel hair. It is created by only three women who have the secret on Earth, all residing in Sardinia.
And it is made only for the twice-yearly Feast of San Francesco, a ritual that has been a tradition for the last two centuries.
The ingredients are straightforward: semolina wheat, water, and salt. And the presentation is as simple as well: gamey mutton broth and a helping of tangy pecorino cheese.
But the art lies in making this pasta, which is nearly impossible. Brilliant engineers from the Barilla pasta company thought they could reproduce the technique by building a cunning machine, but they failed. So did celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who came to Sardinia hoping to master the complicated noodle. But after just two hours, he threw up his hands in despair and returned home.
Paola Abraini, one of the geniuses of su filindeu, says the most challenging part is "making the dough with your hands." First, she kneads the mixture until it feels like modeling clay, then continues working it into rounded strands. When the semolina lacks elasticity, she dips her fingers in a bowl of salt water. When it needs moisture, unsalted water does the trick. The balance, says Abraini, "is the art of the pasta."
When the consistency reaches perfection, Abraini stretches the dough, doubling it repeatedly. After eight layering rounds, she has 256 delicate strands in her hands. She gingerly stretches the fine threads over a circular, wooden frame, crisscrossing three layers of noodles over one another. Then, leaving su filindeu to dry in the sun, Abraini makes some more of the strands in a way that almost no one else can.
The delight is found in those enjoying the pasta. And the proof is in how the crowds return.
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