Aggiadda (also called agliata in Italian) is a special kind of tomato sauce with vinegar, featuring ingredients like tomato, vinegar, capers, bay leaf and garlic. Originally from Liguria, the ancient recipe for aggiada was once used by fishermen to preserve local fish – or to season fried or roasted fish. Almost a marinade, aggiada was born as a peasant recipe from the Italian cibo povero tradition to preserve fish – especially in the hot summer before the invention of refrigerators. With time, this recipe – that Ligurians call aggiada – made its way down the peninsula to Sardinia, imported by the Tarbarkini, who were Ligurian sailors that colonized the Tunisian island of Tabarka, eventually settling permanently in southern Sardinia on the islands of San Pietro and San’Antioco. Still today, the inhabitants of Carloforte and Calasetta, the two main municipalities of these islands, proudly call themselves tabarkini, carrying on the traditions of their Ligurian roots – from the Ligurian dialect to the particular gastronomic identity, which contains cross-contaminations between the different territories. In particular, you’ll find many Ligurian recipes on the islands of Sulcis, from pesto and focaccia genovese to aggiada – and even Middle Eastern recipes like couscous.
Tabarkina tradition in these islands is also carried on by young interpreters of the local cuisine. Among the most passionate and committed to the territory is Carlo Biggio. Carlo is a 34-year-old chef, born in Calasetta where he still resides after a series of professional experiences between Spain, Ireland, Poland and Luxembourg, in high level restaurants and as a private chef. Thanks to a cuisine with a strong Sardinian – and particularly tabarkina – identity, Biggio has been a guest on several culinary and regional television programs and international competitions where he represented Italy and his territory. After several years, he returned to Calasetta – partly for nostalgia and partly to put his experience into practice: This is how Mamma Fina Gastronomy was born – a tribute to his mother and the passion for cooking that she was able to transmit to Carlo. In his gastronomy, homemade meals somewhere between traditional tabarkina dishes and Italian cuisine are key, made using local ingredients, fish and its accompanying sauces first and foremost. And aggiadda is one of Biggio’s specialities.
Crispy Tuna Meatballs with Aggiada: A Recipe by Carlo Biggio
Aggiadda can be made easily at home and it works wonderfully as an accompaniment to fried or roasted fish. Or served raw on bruschetta for a burst of flavor in every bite. For this recipe, Carlo Biggio recommends combining it with tuna – the ingredient par excellence from Carlofortino.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 lb ripe tomatoes on the vine, 1 lb tomato purée, ⅓ glass white vinegar, ½ oz salt, Red pepper flakes to taste, 1 ½ oz capers, 3 cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and transfer them with all the other ingredients to a saucepan. Stir to combine and cook for 25 minutes over low heat until desired density is reached.
Ingredients for the tuna meatballs:
11 oz fresh tuna, 4 oz stale bread, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 2 oz pecorino cheese, 1 tablespoon capers, Breadcrumbs to taste, Fresh marjoram
Method:
Pan-fry the chopped tuna for a few minutes with the capers. Soak the stale bread in milk, squeeze it and add it to the tuna with the pecorino cheese, marjoram, egg and part of the breadcrumbs. Form some meatballs and double-bread them: Cover the balls in the remaining breadcrumbs, followed by a dip in the beaten egg, covering them once more with the breadcrumbs.
Fry the meatballs in hot oil, dry with paper towels and serve in shallow bowls.