Sardinia's typical 'carasau'
bread has been listed for the first time in Italy's Zingarelli
dictionary on the 100th anniversary of the iconic book published
by Zanichelli.
The dictionary's definition is: typical Sardinian bread in
the shape of a disk, very thin and crunchy that can be preserved
for a long period of time.
The dictionary explains that the bread is named after the
verb 'carasare', which in Sardinian dialect means toasting
because the bread is toasted after it is baked.
The bread's debut in the dictionary was presented at
Cagliari's classical lycée Dettori as part of a tour to present
the new edition.
The linguist and literary critic Massimo Arcangeli, a
professor at the University of Cagliari, and socio-linguist and
translator Vera Gheno of the University of Florence attended the
presentation.
Sardinian terms have previously debuted in the dictionary and
have always referred to food, including 'guttiau', another local
bread.
"Often typical products become popular because they are sold
nationwide, sometimes helped by industries, like panettone", an
Italian Christmas cake originally from Milan, said Arcangeli.
The dictionary is increasingly becoming a book full of
information and suggestions, added the linguist, noting that
even an expert can be acquainted with some 120,000 Italian words
out of 145,000.
The dictionary marks with a rhombus all the words it deems to
be fundamental and with a flower the terms that are increasingly
less used.
"I would also use a heart for the words that describe
sentiments of affection and spades for words that cannot be
cancelled but should never be used", said Arcangeli.
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