Porceddu

A central Sardinian shepherd dish, traceable through Latin sources to the Roman period and continuous through the Nuragic-Sardinian pastoral tradition. The wood matters: myrtle (mirto) is endemic to the island's macchia scrubland and was the available fuel for inland shepherds; the dish exists because of what Sardinia smells like, not the other way around. Traditionally served at festas and weddings.

Sardinian shepherd's whole suckling pig, spit-roasted vertical (sa furria furria) over myrtle and juniper embers for 4-6 hours. Salt is the only seasoning; the macchia scrubland is the marinade.

A whole suckling pig, three to four kilos, spit-roasted vertical over myrtle and juniper embers for four to six hours. The skin comes out lacquer-dark and shatter-crisp; the flesh underneath is white, moist, smelling of resinous brush. Served sliced onto fresh myrtle branches that perfume it further as it rests. Salt is the only seasoning; no marinade, no rub, no sauce.

Turning the spit continuously (furria furria, Sardinian for "turn-turn") is technical, not decorative, and central Sardinians traditionally cook it on a vertical spit. Cooking the animal upright lets fat render down through the meat instead of dripping onto coals and flaring up; flare-ups would soot the skin and make it bitter rather than crisp. The myrtle isn't smoked into the meat — it perfumes the cooked surface during the rest, when residual heat draws the volatile oils into the fat just under the skin.