Gallura, northern Sardinia. The pastoral culture of Gallura — a shepherd and cheese-producing region — produced zuppa gallurese as a way to use stale pane carasau and the abundant sheep's milk cheeses, transformed by a good lamb or beef stock into a complete meal.
Zuppa gallurese (from the Gallura area of northern Sardinia) is one of the most deceptive dishes in Italian cooking: it looks like a lasagne or gratin but is made from layers of stale bread soaked in lamb or beef broth, alternated with slices of fresh or semi-aged cheese (casizolu or Pecorino Dolce), then baked until the cheese has melted and the bread has absorbed and caramelised in the broth. The result is deeply savoury, unctuous, and restorative — a sophisticated use of stale bread that is simultaneously ancient and surprising.
The broth penetrates every layer of bread and caramelises during baking, creating a deeply savoury, slightly sweet crust on top and a yielding, flavour-saturated interior. The melted cheese runs through the layers and provides richness. The combined effect is one of the most satisfying ways to eat stale bread in Italian cooking — it does not taste like a use of leftovers.
The broth must be excellent — a full-flavoured lamb or beef stock, well-seasoned and clear. Stale pane carasau or similar flat bread is the base — it absorbs broth without becoming paste-like. The cheese layered between must be fresh or semi-fresh (not aged — aged Pecorino is too hard to melt evenly). Layer: bread soaked briefly in broth, drained, then cheese, then more bread, then more cheese, finishing with cheese on top. Bake in a clay pot (teglia) at 180°C for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and the interior is completely unified. The dish should be firm enough to serve in portions but yielding inside.
The clay pot is traditional and important — the porous walls absorb moisture and create a slightly drier result than a metal baking dish. If a clay pot is unavailable, use a heavy ceramic gratin dish. Season the broth aggressively before soaking the bread — it will be diluted by the bread's starch. Serve immediately from the pot; it firms as it cools.
Poor broth — the entire flavour of the dish is the broth absorbed into the bread; thin stock produces a flat result. Bread soaked too long — it becomes paste; 20-30 seconds in hot broth is sufficient. Using aged Pecorino — it doesn't melt evenly and the sharp flavour dominates. Under-baking — the layers should completely unify; a short bake leaves discrete layers.
Slow Food Editore, Sardegna in Cucina; Elizabeth David, Italian Food