Su civraxiu (civargiu, civarxu, civraxu, chivarzu) is the typical Sardinian bread consumed daily throughout central-southern Sardinia: Campidano, Trexenta, Marmilla, Sulcis, Sarrabus, Barigadu.

It is made in various shapes and sizes but is recognizable by the unmistakable aroma of durum wheat semolina, its elastic and vaguely translucent crumb, and thick crust. Sometimes it is small and resembles a volcano with its dome shape and characteristic cracks on top. Sometimes it is a large, round, slightly flattened bread, with a uniform crust or one or more lateral cracks.

Types of civraxius

In Sulcis and other areas outside Campidano, civraxiu is immediately recognizable by its dome shape, more or less high, and its characteristic, very irregular crack on top, which gives it a rustic and "crusty" appearance. The bloom of the crust is a source of pride among bakers, who shape the bread specifically for this.

This type of bread is small in size, so that once opened, it is easy to eat it all. Because it stays soft longer when whole, thanks to the thick crust that retains moisture. It keeps better than coccoi, which is delicious and crunchy when fresh but loses its appeal very quickly.

 

 Civraxius in large sizes, typical of Campidano, are usually lower, but maintain the circular shape which is one of the fundamental characteristics of this bread. Usually the crust is uniform, without openings. The loaves weigh more than 2 kg and are also sold in pieces.  

There are also smaller round and flattened types, for example in Marmilla and Trexenta and in Sarrabus. They often have a lateral crack in the crust, sometimes very large and entirely intended by experienced bakers.

The legend of civargiu

Civraxiu seems to be very ancient. A legend from Sanluri traces its origin back to the war between Rome and Carthage for the conquest of Sardinia, in 235 BC.

Among the various Roman soldiers, we find one of the protagonists of this legend: Ciro. He was wounded during the battle and was helped by Nuri and Vargiu, a widow and her son. Ciro stayed to live in Sardinia and partly out of gratitude, partly because he did not like the thin barley bread that Nuri baked on hot stones, he decided to build a large oven with mud and stones, where wheat bread could be baked, similar to what was eaten in Rome in the homes of nobles.

After finishing the construction of the oven, they prepared together loaves of durum wheat flour from Campidano. The loaves were so good that they became famous throughout the area and, in the name of the great friendship that bound Ciro and Vargiu, they were named "Ci-Vargiu".

It is interesting to think that at the origin of one of the most famous breads on the island there is a story of friendship, even if the historical reality seems to be different. Historians hypothesize that the name civraxiu derives from the Latin cibarius, which in Vulgar Latin meant food.

Preparing traditional civraxiu

It is a simple bread that owes everything to the quality of its raw materials and processing. The semolina, durum wheat flour (fiore or scetti) and sourdough starter (frammentu) all contribute to giving it a unique aroma and texture.

Traditionally, it was made with stone-ground flours, used whole or sieved by hand to remove part of the bran, with su sedattu or chiliru. Today, semolina milled with modern roller machines is mainly used, which are easier to work with.

The preparation is traditionally characterized by 2 different leavenings, often preceded by a pre-dough (indirect method). First, the entire dough, which is usually several kilos, is left to rise, especially if one is lucky enough to use a wood-fired oven (bulk fermentation). The second leavening (proofing) takes place after the dough is portioned and the individual loaves are shaped by hand. The resulting dough pieces are placed in floured baskets covered with linen. The fabric and semolina absorb the moisture from the dough, ensuring a golden and crispy crust for the bread.

Like carasau, until the mid-last century, it was prepared once a week in almost every home. This was because homemade bread production was very demanding given the rising times and almost entirely manual processing. But above all, lighting the Sardinian wood-fired oven only made sense for large quantities of bread, given the time (and wood) needed to reach the suitable temperature (350/400 °C). This is why su civraxiu was also called pan 'e xida, which in Campidanese Sardinian means "weekly bread".

Natural leavening gave the bread a slightly acidic pH that guaranteed a very long shelf life, allowing it to be eaten for all 7 days between one baking and the next. Unfortunately, the bread tended to dry out over time and by the end of the week it was certainly much less appetizing (at least the one my grandmother made!). But in winter it could be toasted in the fireplace and if there was still some left, it was broken into pieces and put in milk, for breakfast, but often also for dinner!