Test Case: How Would You Market PP in Sardegna?

[James L]

I ate lunch today at an Italian restaurant and their current regional dinner menu features the cuisine of Sardegna. I was intrigued by some of the text pertaining to that island, as well as a few of the food and beverage items.

I was somewhat puzzled as to where to put this thread. Most of the existing threads in this forum seem to be inward-looking challenges, i.e., challenges to persons who are already committed to the PP/PPLP approach to nutrition. In contrast, this thread is more about an outward-looking challenge, i.e., how would you go about persuading the inhabitants of Sardegna that they would be healthier if they would adopt the PP/PPLP approach to eating?

I quote from the menu notes:
Due to its climate and geography, Sardegna has little arable land and is sparsely populated. Few vegetables grow in the region, but livestock thrive in the abundant pastures. In Sardegna, agriculture means grazing; raising livestock is the backbone of the economy. In fact, Sardegna accounts for 25% of all the sheep raised in Italy. Sheep's milk is made into pecorino cheese, one of the most popular of all Italian cheeses.
So, sheep and probably some cattle, a plus for PP. And being an island, fresh seafood is abundant, another plus for PP.

But the next quote is where the challenge comes in:
The chief crop of Sardegna is wheat and bread making is almost a religious rite on the island. Bread often takes the place reserved in most other regions for pasta.
So, FWIW, that's the challenge. How would you propose to convince the Sardinians that they should adopt a "life without bread"?

And now, a few items from the menu (available for dinner, not for lunch)
Pane Carasatu ("music sheet" bread), an Italian flat bread that apparently gets its nickname from the sounds it makes when you break it.

Mirto Tremontis. Produced from myrtle berries, this violet-colored Sardinian liqueur has herbal aromas and slightly sweet flavors of mint, eucalyptus and juniper. Believed to possess healing properties, mirto is traditionally served chilled at the end of a Sardinian meal.

And, of course, there's always:
Dolci: Panna Cotta al Mirto, fresh blueberry custard drizzled with caramel and Mirto sauce.
(I'm sure that could be converted into a PP-aware dessert. :) )

As for my lunch, I had the sea bass with seasonal veggies. Skip the bread (although the restaurant is known for great bread) and substitute spinach for the mashed potatoes. Delicious!
.

[Gaelen]

Um...James...exactly how familiar, aside from this one meal in one restaurant and the liner notes from one menu, are you with Sardinian cuisine?

I'm not an expert by any means, although I've done a fair bit of exploring and preparation of various regional Italian cuisines, especially the flavors unique to some of the Mediterranean islands with ties to Spain and/or Italy. But before you characterize the cuisine of an entire region as something that needs a Protein-Power makeover, you might want to do a bit of homework outside of the single experience you mention. For instance, check out ActivItaly: Sardinian Cuisine (http://www.activsardegna.com/gastronomia_en.htm), and then maybe ramp up your knowlege of the area from that point. As for the question of your challenge:

I was somewhat puzzled as to where to put this thread. Most of the existing threads in this forum seem to be inward-looking challenges, i.e., challenges to persons who are already committed to the PP/PPLP approach to nutrition. In contrast, this thread is more about an outward-looking challenge, i.e., how would you go about persuading the inhabitants of Sardegna that they would be healthier if they would adopt the PP/PPLP approach to eating? <snip> So, FWIW, that's the challenge. How would you propose to convince the Sardinians that they should adopt a "life without bread"?

Why on earth would we presume to do that? :confused: Protein Power is a nutritional approach...it's not a religion whose adherents witness to anyone who will listen like street corner preachers.

The 'music sheet bread' you mention (pane carasau) properly prepared, is a very thin flatbread--even thinner than a properly made lavash, almost a homemade phyllo, which is thicker than the phyllo available in the frozen foods section of US supermarkets. It's a 'staple' in one region of Sardinia, and one typical way of serving it is en casserole with cheese, tomatoes and eggs--actually a far more protein-rich than carb-rich meal. Does the basic pane carasau have carbs? yes...but it's not nearly so carby as the typical slice of Western bread. Is it made from wheat? yes...but traditionally from whole grain, unprocessed wheat and bran. It's a long way from that to Wonder Bread, that travesty of Western breadmaking. ;)

Bread is a PART of Sardinian cuisine, but your restaurant menu notes aside, it's not the main source of nourishment! Wheat is important, but it was imported by the Romans, and its 'importance' is best evaluated in comparison to the relatively smaller roles played by other grains such as rice and corn, which can be more important than wheat in other regions of Italy. These people have been shepherds since they settled the island. What do you think happens to those sheep and goats who don't produce more sheep and goats, as well as the milk needed for, among other things, sheep's milk cheeses? You don't need nearly the number of rams as ewes in a herd, and no ewe is a breeder or milker forever. Can you say 'main dish?' I think you can... ;)

Your 'challenge' is even more perplexing in light of this comment:

As for my lunch, I had the sea bass with seasonal veggies. Skip the bread (although the restaurant is known for great bread) and substitute spinach for the mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Seems to me that even your single experience with the cuisine gave you a chance to see that it's more than capable of focusing on adequate protein and controlling carbs. The challenge with any traditional cuisine, exported to those who don't eat that way every day, is moderation--not letting any single element of a meal overwhelm the cuisine as a whole. That's something native and traditional Italian cuisine typically takes for granted, and only among people adapting the cuisine to their own tastes and meals has the practice of 'moderation' become a lost art form.

[cmcole]

What an interesting place it would be to visit. I briefly checked your link and it was fascinating. I'll have to remember to look at in in more depth at home. I realize this does not answer the original poster's question, but I was just expressing my joy at being exposed to yet another interesting piece of information/geography. I should look on Google Earth when I get home, as well. I bet it would be a wonderful tour.

[Relief]

I guess my answer to the challenge would also be I wouldn't!... Sardinia is one of the five or so places with the most centenarians in the world and they are studied extensively to attempt to ferret out the secret of long, healthy life. Google "sardinia longevity and see for yourself. so whether it is genentic or what.. their diet isn't causeing them too much of a problem. I'm with Gaelen on this one--whole food, animal based for the most part, and activity and ( probably )no refined sugar makes it possible for the whole grain bread, which is probably traditionally fermented, to be eaten lifelong without causing an issue