Bigoli with sardines

Bigoli with sardines is a typical dish of Mantua and Verona, also the protagonist of a famous festival that has been held for over 100 years.

Italy boasts an almost infinite number of pasta shapes, all similar in texture but different in shape and seasonings. Take for example bigoli , similar to spaghetti but thicker, tradition would have them pressed while when it comes to condiments you are spoiled for choice. Although they are more Venetian in format, bigoli with sardines (or pilchards) are typical of Mantua as well as Verona.

The recipe recalls that of bigoli in sauce , typical of Venice and beyond, except for the absence of onions. Here the dish is even simpler and three ingredients are really enough to prepare it: salted sardines, quality oil and garlic . The choice is yours whether to serve them with a sprinkling of pan-toasted breadcrumbs or with Grana Padano.

How to prepare the recipe for bigoli with sardines

1. First of all, if you decide to make them yourself, prepare the bigoli which need an hour of rest between everything to which you will add the actual preparation time.
2. Once ready you can dedicate yourself to the seasoning. Rinse the sardines under running water and remove the bones.
3. In a pan, heat the oil with the garlic clove then add the fish. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the sardines have melted. If needed, you can add a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water.
4. Then cook the bigoli in salted water, drain them al dente and sauté them in the pan with the seasoning. Distribute on plates and complete as desired with pangrated toasted breadcrumbs .

This is the recipe in its simplicity. If you want, you can give it a fresh note with fresh chopped parsley and replace the breadcrumbs with grated Grana Padano to obtain an even tastier dish.

In this video you will find the procedure with onion and parsley instead of garlic, but we have opted for the most traditional recipe possible, diversifying it from bigoli in sauce.

Conservation

We recommend storing the pasta and sauce separately. The latter will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

Origin and history of the dish

The tradition of bigoli with sardines has its roots in the poor cuisine of the Veneto, particularly in the lagoon and coastal areas. Bigoli were the dish for special occasions, but also for lean days , such as Good Friday or the eves of religious holidays, when the Church required the avoidance of meat consumption.

Sardines, easily available and preservable in salt, represented a fundamental resource for peasant and seafaring families, who made abundant use of them in their daily cooking. Since 1848, bigoli with sardines have been the protagonists of the Bigolada , a festival held in Castel d'Ario on Ash Wednesday. On this occasion, this typical local dish is prepared and served from morning to evening and is the protagonist, among other things, of a unique competition : a prize is awarded to the competitor who manages to devour a plate of bigoi and sardèle in the shortest time without using the hands.

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