Pasta is an incredibly versatile Italian dish that has been well-absorbed by other cultures around the world. For some people, it can be one of the simplest dishes to cook. On the other hand, there exists a rare variety of pasta that even expert chefs fail to replicate. We are talking about Su Filindeu, which is said to be the rarest pasta in the world. It's a very specific pastoral traditional recipe in Sardinia - a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea. It's so difficult and time-consuming to prepare, that for 300 years only the women of a single Sardinian family knew how to make this pasta, reported BBC.
A video posted by digital creator @sortedfood is going viral on Instagram, showing this rarest pasta in the world. "Until recently, only three people on the planet were making it," the video says.
'Su Filindeu' translates to "the threads of God". For more than 300 years, the recipe and technique have only been passed down through the "women in Abraini's family - each of whom have guarded it tightly before teaching it to their daughters," reported BBC. However, now the recipe is endangered and many people have even attempted to learn it, but failed. Celebrity chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver is one of them.
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In 2016, Oliver took to his Instagram handle and wrote, "Filindeu pasta in Sardinia one of the rarest kinds of pasta in the world !!! It's amazing and very hard to make I've been failing for 2 hours but I think now I can go home and practice for a year or two !!! Which I will try and do. It's good to be humbled...Seriously this pasta blew my mind !!!! Super Food Family classics big love Jamie xx oh it's cooked in a broth made from sheep and very fresh pecorino it's very very very delicious."
How Is Su Filindeu Pasta Made From Scratch?
Su Filindeu is made following an amazing but quite difficult and time-consuming process.
First, a pasta dough is prepared using durum (semolina) flour, water, and a little bit of salt. They take the dough, fold it over, and stretch it. This process is repeated. Every time they stretch, you get multiple strands. The process is followed to make 256 perfectly even strands with the tips of your fingers, and then the needle-thin wires are stretched diagonally across a circular frame in an intricate three-layer pattern.
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When the three layers are formed, the base is taken outside to dry in the Sardinian sun. After several hours, the layers harden into delicate sheets of white razor-thin threads resembling stitched lace. These are then broken into circular sheets and packed into boxes.
How Is Su Filindeu Pasta Cooked?
Su Filindeu is cooked by simmering the pasta in sheep's or mutton broth. The pasta is cooked for about 3 minutes until al dente. It is served in a bowl with the broth and pecorino (an Italian hard cheese produced from sheep's milk) is sprinkled on top.
Many hidden corners of the world are home to such amazing and unique recipes. If you found this fascinating, click here to learn about olden and golden dishes from the fabled kitchens of India.