In Gallura, cuisine grew from simplicity, rural life and the communities’ ability to use what the land provided: milk, wine, aromatic herbs, honey, grains, meat and pastoral products. It is a tradition built slowly over centuries in the stazzi, the countryside and the small inland villages.
The landscapes of Monte Pino and Telti also form part of this story.
One of the area’s most distinctive symbols is undoubtedly Vermentino di Gallura, the only Sardinian wine with DOCG status. The vineyards surrounding inland Gallura grow in an environment shaped by intense light, wind and the presence of granite, elements that help define the mineral and aromatic character of this wine, which is profoundly connected to north-eastern Sardinia.
Alongside wine stands another symbol of Gallura culture: myrtle.
Growing wild in the countryside, woodland and areas of Mediterranean scrub around Monte Pino, myrtle is far more than a simple aromatic plant. Its berries and leaves have been part of Sardinian cuisine, infusions and folk traditions for centuries. Its intense fragrance is an integral part of Gallura’s sensory identity.
The local culinary tradition also includes cheeses, bread, traditional sweets, honey, meat and many dishes connected to the area’s agro-pastoral culture.
Many recipes come directly from the civilisation of the stazzi and tell of a cuisine founded on seasonality, self-sufficiency and a direct relationship with the land. It is an essential yet richly distinctive cuisine in which every product retains a strong bond with the landscape and the memory of rural communities.