Ozieri Copuleta

Copuletas production is traditionally tied to the important occasions and religious festivals of Ozieri, a small town 50 km away from Sassari where the sumptuous facades of the palaces of the local nobility and the typical open gallery turrets are still living memories of its Spanish contamination. An influence that is also to be found in gastronomy, with traditional techniques and specialties reminding of a prosperous and lively past.Copuletas were generally consumed either during the patron saint’s festival or at baptism and wedding banquets, but now they are common all over the year. Once they used to be prepared in every single family. Like many Sardinian sweets, palatial and with a complex preparation technique, they are now endangered of extinction as the origial recipes passed down from mother to daughter can very difficultly fit to the time requirements and homologation needs of modern-day confectionery. Today, only one pastry chef and two confectionery companies in Ozieri are still producing Copuletas.These traditional sweets require well-trained manual abilities and a great deal of patience. Flour, lard, water and salt are mixed together until they reach a homogenuous texture. The mix is stretched to a very thin flake, then discs are cut out of it and used to cover low-rimmed, oval or round steel molds which are later filled with a mixture of sponge cake, grated lemon peel, toasted and thinly grated almonds and, perhaps, a dash of liquour. Copuletas are cooked in an oven at the temperature of 200°C for 15 minuets, sealed with an icing film and then left to cool down for a couple of hours, becoming compact but extremely soft and delicate at the same time. This recipe can be distinguished from the other similar pastries of the region by the presence of almonds instead of the more commonly used sapa (or saba) in its filling.