Pardulas

Pardulas are small baked sweets made for Easter on the island of Sardinia, Italy. The edges of a thin pastry are pinched up and shaped like an open basket, which is filled with ricotta or a fresh, unaged cheese. Those from the Campidano area in the south stand out for their filling, colored yellow with saffron.

Pinching the edges of the thin pastry to hold the filling

For the outer pastry, one method uses pasta violada, made by combining durum wheat semolina with lard, water and salt. It is rolled out thin and cut into rounds, and the filling is placed in the center. The edges are pinched in several places with the thumb and index finger to form a crown shape that leaves the filling visible, and the pastries are then baked. If the pastry is too thin, it tears easily; if it is too thick, the balance with the filling changes. The folds at the edge are decorative and at the same time support the soft filling.

Ricotta and fresh cheese

In one example of a ricotta-filled version from Campidano, sheep’s milk ricotta is mixed with sugar, egg yolks, saffron, citrus zest and a little semolina. When baked, the filling puffs up and the surface takes on a light golden color. Besides versions made with ricotta, some are made with unaged sheep’s milk cheese. The region’s record of traditional food products links the name casadinas, used mainly in the Province of Nuoro, to “casu,” meaning cheese. The same record also cites examples with raisins added in the Sassari area. The yellow ricotta-filled versions of the south and the pale casadinas of the interior form a contrast, but the boundaries between names and ingredients overlap depending on the locality and household.

An example from Seui using cheese made the same day

In an example recorded by the region’s agricultural agency as the method from Seui, goat’s or sheep’s milk cheese made that same day is broken into small pieces and combined with orange zest, saffron, eggs and sugar. The filling is placed on rounds of pastry, and the edges are pinched so that they bake into star shapes. Pastry shops in Tortolì also offer versions made with ricotta and fresh cheese.

Easter gifts

In the south, they are made at home before Easter and given between families, arranged in assortments of sweets or placed in baskets.

Glossary