A Taste of Sardinia in the Maldives

Executive Chef Federico Tidu describes his Sardinian childhood on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, and the simple philosophy that guides his cooking.

My childhood home in Cagliari, Sardinia, was a busy one. I was the eldest of three brothers and it was my job to set up the kitchen for lunch each day.  I remember coming home from school at lunchtime, putting my bag away, and getting going. I’d boil the water for pasta, work out how much salt to use, and measure out tomato sauce. I must have been six or seven years old, and the terracotta-tiled floors were soon splattered with my efforts, much to my mother’s dismay. 

It was a normal Sardinian upbringing: cooking played a huge part in our lives, especially at the weekends. The whole house would be filled with the rich aromas of long-cooked ragus and sauces. My favourite thing to cook was lasagna, which was always on the menu at big family gatherings. I’d cut the vegetables for the ragu, mixing them with mince, while my mother made the béchamel sauce next to me. At the time, I didn’t realise it, but I was learning the foundations of great cooking and the value of time spent on simple dishes.

Sardinian culinary traditions are vital in my culture. We’re extremely proud of our food, because while every Italian region has great dishes – Rome’s carbonara, for instance – in Sardinia, we have it all: traditional dishes, cured meats, wines, and almost 30 different types of bread. No one would dream of serving yesterday’s bread in Sardinia; it’s made fresh every single day. Best of all is our seafood, straight out of the ocean and usually served simply with salt, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. I grew up ten minutes from the sea, with all its bountiful produce. I think that’s one of the reasons I feel so at home here in the Maldives. When I think about it, that connection has been important in my career too, which has branched from seaside regions in Italy to Australia to Japan. 

I never planned to become a chef, but while I was studying at hospitality school, I worked a summer season in a Michelin-starred kitchen. Everything changed in that moment. The technique, the precision and the beauty of what was produced became an obsession for me. I connected with the chefs, who sent me to other Michelin-starred restaurants to learn more. Before I knew it, a whirlwind had taken hold of me and I was working in Japan, then Australia. Wherever I’ve travelled, my Sardinian roots have informed my philosophy about the food I create. The most important thing is to use fresh ingredients, sourced directly from farms wherever possible. The taste is incomparable, celebrated in my cooking, which is all about simplicity, letting the quality of the ingredients shine through.

I think that’s why it was so easy to say ‘yes’ to joining COMO Cocoa Island as Executive Chef. The island has some of the freshest produce on the planet: seafood. Each day, I speak directly with local fishermen. I don’t place an order for types of fish, I ask them to bring whatever it is they happen to catch that day. The variety of fish is fantastic; yellowfin tuna, jobfish, snapper and more. The freshness is unparalleled. It reminds me of my childhood. When seafood is that fresh, you don’t need much to make it extraordinary – just a touch of salt, olive oil, and lemon juice, like when I was growing up. That simplicity is beautiful. 

The reminder of home is what inspired me to create a new seven-course Sardininan tasting menu at COMO Cocoa Island’s Ufaa restaurant. I’ve used my traditional heritage, adapting Sardinian dishes to include local Maldivian ingredients and modern techniques. The result is pretty unique. The tasting menu begins with Sardinian flatbread served with ricotta and honey infused with orange juice, zest and other citrus notes. The bread takes eight hours to make, belying the simple recipe of semolina, yeast, water and salt. First, I mix the dough, then rest it for one-and-a-half hours. After that, I’ll divide it into portions then rest the dough for another three hours. I then roll it into flat disks, rest it for another half hour, before baking it in three stages. The point of all the resting is to create bread that will rise like a balloon. Once the bread is ready, I’ll brush it with olive oil, salt and rosemary before serving.

The next course is an amuse-bouche – a grilled scallop served à la Catalana, with thinly sliced seasonal vegetables. After that, comes traditional culurgiones pasta – dumpling-like parcels – filled with smoked potato, pecorino, dill and chives, served with goats’ cheese which is a Sardinian staple. The fourth course is perhaps my favourite to prepare. It’s another kind of Sardinian pasta – fregola – which I make using semolina flour. It recreates the look of couscous, while tasting completely different. I cook it like a risotto, adding fresh seafood like clams, mussels, octopus, squid; whatever the fishermen have caught that day. For the main course, I cook lamb in a cacciatore sauce with forest-foraged flavours like mushrooms, olives and capers, finished on the barbecue to give all that richness a smoky, outdoorsy edge. 

Dessert is another of my favourite dishes to make, served after a palate cleanser of granita flavoured with Mirto, a Sardinian myrtle liquor. I prepare a sweet fried pastry filled with fresh cheese and pecorino, serving it with wild honey and orange zest. It’s unexpected and delightful – and much lighter to taste than it sounds. I suppose I want guests to finish their meal with the same zap of homecoming that I feel when I’m in the Maldives or Sardinia. It’s a feeling I’ve never had anywhere else. It’s like a gentle brush of crystal clear water, white sand and fresh breezes, carried in the flavours and textures of good food and deep tradition.

COMO Cocoa Island’s new seven-course Sardinian tasting menu is available at Ufaa restaurant. For more information, please contact our concierge team.