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What is the Sardinian fregola?
The fregola or fregula is a traditional Italian food, more precisely from the Sardinia region.
Typically based on durum wheat ( Triticum durum ), not integral, at first glance it seems vaguely similar to bulgur and couscous. In reality, the fregola is not produced simply by grinding and sifting, but "rolling" the flour together with a little water in an earthenware bowl to obtain small spheres, subsequently toasted in the oven. The shape is roundish, so quite different compared to the two products mentioned above - noticeably irregular. Even the dimensions, which can vary significantly depending on the production, are however more abundant than the aforementioned (1-2 mm in diameter). It is a very ancient recipe, of which the first historical traces can be traced back to the XIV century AD
From the nutritional point of view, the fregula can be classified in the III fundamental group of foods, or that of foods rich in starch and fiber, also rich in certain minerals and vitamins - especially water-soluble. The fregola therefore assumes the same dietary role as whole dry cereals, ground or flour, used for first courses - pasta, polenta, etc. - or for bread.
The fregula is an ingredient for pasta dishes and is basically cooked by boiling in boiling water or "risottata" or in a promiscuous way.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of the fregola
The fregola belongs to the III fundamental group of foods - foods rich in starch, fibers and certain minerals and vitamins - above all water-soluble.
The raw fregula has a high energy intake (355 kcal / 100 g of edible portion), which however more or less halves with cooking, thanks to the absorption of water which doubles its weight and volume. Calories are mainly supplied by carbohydrates, followed by proteins and finally lipids. The carbohydrates have mainly a complex structure and are made from the durum wheat starch; the roasting applied in production determines a partial hydrolysis and the release of maltodextrins. Peptides have a medium biological value, ie they do not bring all the essential amino acids to the human protein model; the limiting amino acid is lysine.
Did you know that ...
To compensate for the biological value of wheat it is sufficient to combine them, or alternate, foods of animal origin - eggs, milk, cheese, meat, offal, fishery products - or even just legumes - for example beans - or other specific grains.
Lipids are mainly composed of fatty acids, with the respective prevalence of unsaturated chains on saturated ones.
The fregola contains fibers, even soluble but above all insoluble; instead it is cholesterol free. It provides gluten but not lactose and histamine; it does not act as a liberator. Contains limited amounts of purines and phenylalanine amino acid.
As for the vitamins, fregula provides good levels of thiamine (vit B1), riboflavin (vit B2) and niacin (vit PP). The fraction of the liposoluble is instead irrelevant, except for a small amount of carotenoids (provitamin A or retinol equivalent - RAE).
With regard to mineral salts, the fregola contains significant but not high levels of iron - although not very bioavailable - phosphorus and potassium.
Diet
Fregola in the diet
The fregola is suitable for most diets intended for healthy people.
Having a non-negligible energy density, it must be taken in the right portions and with a frequency of adequate consumption in the event of severe overweight. It is therefore substantially a caloric product, which provides carbohydrates in complex form useful for supporting the energy demand of all tissues.
WARNING! Caloric is not synonymous with hyper caloric, which means that the energy supplied by the fregula is easily contextualizable in any type of diet, even slimming. Let's not forget that all dry cereals or derivatives, once cooked, absorb from 100 to 300% of their weight in water, doubling, tripling or even quadrupling in volume.
Since calories are derived mainly from carbohydrates, the same recommendations on portion size and frequency of consumption apply in case of type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia - which undoubtedly benefit from a moderate glycemic load. There are no noteworthy implications for hypercholesterolemia and primary arterial hypertension, except in the presence of obesity - see above.
Fregula is not a primary source of protein, due to the medium biological value that characterizes its peptides. However, this can be compensated by alternating consumption with foods of animal origin - eggs, milk, cheese, meat, offal, fishery products - or vegetables but rich in lysine - legumes like beans and soy, amaranth, oats, certain algae etc. .
The contribution of fregola fibers is discreet; insoluble ones prevail, but a modest quantity of soluble molecules is present. The fibers have various nutritional functions; the first concerns an improvement in the stimulus of gastric fullness, the second concerns the modulation of intestinal absorption - moderation of insulin glycemic surge, reduction of fat absorption and reabsorption of bile juices - the third is prevention / therapy against constipation or constipation - due to softening and volumetric increase in stool, and possible increase in intestinal peristalsis (depending on the type of fiber) - and the last consists in the prebiotic function - nourishes the physiological intestinal bacterial flora. Recall that constipation or constipation can be related to other discomforts including: hemorrhoids, anal fissures, anal prolapse, diverticulosis, diverticulitis, some forms of colorectal cancer.
The fregola lends itself to the diet for lactose and histamine intolerance; it is instead contraindicated in celiac disease and in wheat protein allergy. Does not negatively impact the diet against hyperuricemia; is among the foods granted in the case of phenylketonuria.
The fregula is a discrete source of various B vitamins, which are very important coenzymatic factors for cellular metabolism and therefore for the functioning of various tissues. With regard to minerals instead, the respective concentrations do not primarily affect the coverage of any nutritional requirements.
The fregola is suitable for vegetarian and vegan, but not for raw food. It is also free from contraindications in religious diet.
The average dry fregola portion is 80-90 g (about 280-320 kcal).
Kitchen
How is fregola cooked?
As anticipated, fregola is an ingredient for pasta dishes. The preparation can be similar to that of sautéed pasta or risotto although, having variable dimensions depending on the type, the timing may change slightly depending on the type and the recipe. One of the most famous Sardinian preparations is the "fregola con le arselle" (lupine clam).
Did you know that ...
The cooking of the risotto is divided into three:
- Roasting in a fat base
- Shade with alcoholic liquid
- Real risotto in aqueous solution - which is not a real drowning boiling, but requires a lower quantity of liquid and a lower temperature.
The fregola can therefore be prepared in two different ways, even if the choice of one or the other system may depend on the type of seasoning. Below we will list our version of fregola alle arselle:
Ingredients for fregula with clams - without tomato (3-4 people):
- Fregola 300
- Arselle 1 kg
- White wine 200 ml
- Extra virgin olive oil 40 g
- Fresh garlic 4 cloves
- Ground black pepper QB
- Chopped parsley 2 small bunches
- QB mullet roe
- If you like, carasau bread.
Procedure for fregula with clams - without tomato:
- Check the state of the clams, discarding those full of sand and the shards of those broken
- In a sauté, put 20 g of oil and 2 minced garlic cloves and place on a stove over medium heat
- As soon as the garlic starts to fry, throw the clams and wait for them to open
- Then quickly remove the cooking water by filtering it with a linen cloth and blend the clams with 1/2 glass of white wine
- Taste the water released from the clams; if it is too salty, correct it with fresh water until it becomes only slightly savory
- As soon as the alcohol has evaporated completely, remove from the heat and shell half of the clams by returning them to the liquid together with the others
- In a saucepan, place 20 g of oil and 2 cloves of garlic cut into pieces, and place on a stove over medium heat
- As soon as the garlic starts to fry, add 1 bunch of chopped parsley and the fregola, stirring for about 30 '
- Then blend with 1/2 glass of white wine and add the liquid from the pan with the clams; continue cooking with the clam water previously removed and corrected for sweetness
- Finish cooking adding the clams last, 1 minute before the end
- It is advisable to taste it often so as not to overcook the fregola and reach the right level of creaming - it must not be brothy but not even dry
- Adjust the ground black pepper and serve with grated mullet bottarga on a plate lined with carasau bread.
Did you know that ...
Not knowing the fregula, to start, you can prepare it with a very simple recipe:
- Prepare a base of mixed vegetables - aubergines, courgettes, red peppers, onion etc. - stir-fried and spiced to taste - for example with fresh mint, sage, rosemary, marjoram, etc.
- In a pan of boiling salted water, cook the fregola - following the times mentioned by the producer - leaving it al dente
Sauté the fregola with the vegetables, remove from the heat and serve by adding plenty of flaky Sardinian pecorino and fresh spicy pepper.
