Pane frattau

Pane Frattau is a traditional Sardinian dish, simple but extremely tasty, which includes carasau bread, tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, and eggs. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• Carasau bread (5 sheets)
• Tomato sauce as needed
• Grated Sardinian pecorino cheese as needed
• 5 eggs
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Water for soaking the bread

Preparation

1. First, prepare a simple tomato sauce with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, and basil (you can personalize it according to your taste).
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, turn off the heat, and quickly submerge the sheets of carasau bread one at a time to slightly soften them.
3. In a large pan, lay down the first sheet of carasau bread and sprinkle it with hot tomato sauce and a dusting of grated pecorino.
4. Layer another sheet of carasau bread on top and repeat the operation until all five sheets are stacked.
5. In another pan, cook the eggs “sunny-side up,” making sure to keep the yolks soft.
6. Gently place an egg on top of each upper layer of the carasau bread.
7. Finish with a generous dusting of grated Sardinian pecorino cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Serve the Pane Frattau hot, and if you like, with a sprinkling of black pepper to further enhance its flavor.

Curiosity

Pane Frattau is a recipe tied to the history of sheep farming in Sardinia. Carasau bread was indeed a practical food for shepherds who spent long periods away from home, and it was “revived” with water when necessary. The name “frattau” comes from the Sardinian verb “frattare,” which means “to break,” referring to how the bread is broken before being rehydrated and cooked.