Puglia of flavours: a journey through tradition and taste

The region is rich in exquisite products. For example, the region’s wine tradition, from Castel del Monte DOC to Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale DOCG, offers a range of sparkling, sweet, dry and fruity flavours.

 Another historic Apulian speciality is the production of extra-virgin olive oil, in particular Terra di Bari PDO, the most widely produced oil in Apulia and renowned for its bitter, piquant aftertaste.

Furthermore, every corner of Puglia preserves an ancient dairy tradition, comprising products that date back as far as the Middle Ages. This is true of mozzarella, the queen of Puglian tables, but also of cacioricotta, or of products typical of specific areas, such as giuncata, caciocavallo podolico and Burrata di Andria PGI.

Altamura PDO bread and Ascoli Satriano bread, praised even by Horace, are two delicacies that must be enjoyed warm. When visiting a bakery, never forget friselle, taralli, pucce and orecchiette.

Orecchiette are the most iconic traditional pasta shape from Puglia, and they are at their best when paired with turnip greens.

Raw seafood, on the other hand, truly shines when paired with lemon, and this is certainly the case with Taranto mussels. Mussels also play a starring role in tiella alla barese, a baked dish combining rice, potatoes and mussels. Once again, fish takes centre stage with zuppa di pesce alla rodiana, a traditional dish from the Gargano area. Focaccia, in its softer or crisper varieties, is topped with tomatoes, salt, oregano and black olives, and reigns supreme in the Bari area, alongside spaghetti all’assassina and panzerotto. In Salento, the focus is on both land and sea, with dishes such as rustico leccese, scapece gallipolina  and quatara di Porto Cesareo.

Throughout Puglia, an invitation to dine is an extraordinary way to discover the region’s age-old culinary culture, a symbol that represents Puglia around the world.

In Puglia, food is sacred, and as such, it has its own dedicated spaces.  Agritourism farms are the home of home-cooked cuisine, which is simple, authentic and in tune with the seasons. Now rediscovered and increasingly valued, the masserie are stone-built, fortified structures. Here, too, you can savour farm produce,  seasonal fruit, traditional meats, cured meats  and dairy products. The  trabucchi, former fishing structures that have now fallen into disuse, have become places where you can sample fresh, authentic fish, prepared according to Apulian recipes. Beachfront  establishments are also increasingly establishing  themselves as venues where seafood dishes reign supreme.

If you want to discover the Puglia of narrow streets and historic town centres, the specialist shops in the villages are not to be missed: bakeries, cheese shops and wine cellars – places where every taste offers a genuine, privileged gateway into the essence of Puglia.

In Puglia, many dishes have a different name from those found in the rest of the country, and many others have a thousand names, even if they differ only in minor details. Gli allievi, the star ingredients of Bari’s crudo, are simply small cuttlefish. Lo gnummariddo  refers to a roll of liver and offal to be enjoyed grilled, known in the Valle d’Itria as turcineddo. When it comes to desserts, Puglia offers a wide variety of names for every delicacy. Pasticciotti, traditional pastries from Salento, are shortcrust pastry cases filled with custard, but they become fruttoni if filled with almond paste and quince jam and coated in chocolate. Sospiri, an ancient dessert from Bisceglie, are extremely soft sponge cakes filled with custard and covered with icing. In Salento, with the addition of a candied fruit on top, they become bocche di dama. Due to their distinctive shape and the absence of icing, in the townof  Altamura, they are known as ‘tette delle monache’ (nuns’ breasts).