No, the zuppa Gallurese is not a soup but a casserole. A type of layered dish not dissimilar to lasagna that uses stale bread instead of pasta. Yes, it’s an oddball, but it’s incredibly satisfying!
Typical to Galura, in northern Sardinia, the zuppa Gallurese comprises alternating layers of bread soaked in a meaty broth and cheese. The term Zuppa, or soup, is used here because it comes from ‘inzuppare,’ which means to soak. You soak the bread in meat broth as you would soak ladyfinger biscuits in espresso for a tiramisu.
You know the famous Pecorino Sardo cheese plays a big part in this preparation but also many others, including the creamy caciocavallo and fontina cheese. Once you assemble your zuppa, you cover it with even more cheese and broil it. That’s a bubbly casserole!
The zuppa Gallurese is part of the traditional Italian Cucina Povera, or poor man’s cuisine, where nothing goes to waste and where the simplest ingredients become magnificent meals.
Let us tell you, the zuppa Gallurese is worthy of the finest dinner tables, and it’s actually served on special occasions throughout Sardinia. It’s that dish that takes everyone to their fondest childhood memories; it’s the dish that tastes like home.
We have a term for this type of dish in the west, we call them soul food, and that’s precisely what this comforting and heart-warming preparation is. You’ll be pleased to know you can make your own zuppa Gallurese at home with little effort, and once you see how it’s done, you don’t even need a recipe; it’s one of those dishes you eyeball to your taste.
When you think you know comfort food, you find beauties like the zuppa Gallurese that swoon you off your feet. Humanity’s creativity is boundless, especially when it comes to satisfying its hunger!
