White and red
But what is the zimino? The ziminu is prepared with the insides of the cow, that is the diaphragm (parasangu), the "curls" or small intestine (isthintinu), the rectum (cannaguru), the heart (gori) and the liver (figgaddu). Sometimes the kidney (rugnoni) and spleen (ippiena) also appear. And then there are the sweetbreads (primuratti), the real highlight sought after by Sassari good food lovers. More specifically, there is the white zimino, made of curls, sweetbreads, and rectum; and the red one is made of liver, heart, and diaphragm.
No seasoning
The entrails are cut and readily grilled on a grill, renewing the tradition of the "ziminadde", reminiscent of summer evenings gathered around the sizzling of meat. Once properly cooked (generally not rare), the meat is cut into small pieces with scissors and eaten exclusively with the hands. No seasoning: the zimino is enriched only with a pinch of salt and pepper at the end of cooking. Usually the zimino is served together with other grilled meats such as pork ribs, sausages, tattareu (braiding of game offal) and slices of horse, as well as fresh raw or grilled vegetables. Every self-respecting "ziminadda" is of course accompanied by the inevitable cannonau and other red wines.
The city gets by
The history of this dish is remarkable: when the rest of Italy’s cities were to have precedence in provisions and to exploit the pastures leaving farmers to get by on their own, here the contrary happened. Sassari was a flourishing market for vegetables produced in the Logudoro (artichokes, cabbages, eggplants, and tomatoes), while the shepherds made the meat arrive bit by bit. It was in this way that the people from Sassari learned to be content with the scraps, whilst countryside farmers and the town lords kept the best parts. The zimino was so popular that it seems the Sassari locals also loved to eat it on Fridays, provoking the wrath of the Church.
Liguria and Tuscany
Careful though, there isn’t just one zimino in Sardinia, nor in the rest of Italy. The term "zimino" in Alghero means a fish soup. Towards Anglona, north-east of Sassari, it means lamb and kid offal cooked in a casserole with tomato sauce, a dish very similar to the coratella of central Italy. In Tuscany and Liguria the term "zimino" is used for the production of tomato, chard and spinach based soups, combined with fish or legumes. In Liguria we have chickpeas, cuttlefish and cod in the zimino. In Tuscany, the zimino contains tripe, carp, stockfish and beans. The term "zimino" seems to derive from the Arabic "zamin", "thick and oily sauce", which with the passing of time has become synonymous with "misticanza". The Sassari zimino could also be part of the extended family of these "misticanze" and the term could be remnant of the Pisan and Genoese domination in North Sardinia.