Malloreddus can be considered one of the "national" dishes of Sardinia. They are prepared using the famous Campidano durum wheat, the large plain that stretches along half of the island. They are made by rolling a small piece of dough into a string-like shape, then flattening, cutting the dough into small pieces and curling the two sides together to create a dumpling. They are then rolled onto the back of a special straw basket to give them their characteristic grooves. The grooves are made to catch the pasta sauce, which in Sardinian tradition is made with tomato, pork sausage and saffron.