Discover the best dishes to eat in Puglia

Since starting The Tiny Italian, I have embraced Puglian cooking and profoundly inspires my recipe creations. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent researching recipes and recreating them in my Peckham kitchen. I think my Nonna Gina would be proud of her London’ nipotina‘ adopting her Italian food roots. Don’t get me wrong; I am a lover of all Italian regional cooking. However, the honesty and simplicity of Puglian cookery will always hold a special place in my heart.

To clarify, Puglia is the most southern-eastern region in Italy. It faces the Adriatic coast and is generally flat in comparison to other Italian mountainous areas. It’s brimming with olive groves, fields of durum wheat and grapevines, forming the holy trinity of southern Italian food – Olive oil, pasta/bread and wine. Renowned for being a farmers region, vegetables and pulses are at the centre of Puglias’ cucina povera, with meat playing a smaller part and fish/seafood regularly enjoyed along the coastline.

While travelling around, it’s common to come across a Masseria – a traditional Puglian farmhouse. Some have now opened their doors to the public. Making it possible to not only lodge there but also feast on local dishes created solely with the produce harvested and reared on their land.

Burrata is one of the most popular Puglian cheeses now found in the western world. Over the last few years, it’s been common to find in most Italian or European restaurant menus across the UK. You may have already tried it yourself, but how many of you already knew that it came from this southern Italian region?

Burrata – which means buttery, has the outer case of mozzarella but filled with cream and stracciatella (small shreds of buffalo milk cheese). Slicing one in the middle is one of the sexiest things you could ever do. You can find it freshly sold at deli counters in most local supermarkets. It’s not as heavily featured at restaurants as it is here. It’s usually served with maybe a drizzle of olive oil and perhaps some rocket at a local Masseria.

You’re probably thinking, ‘what is this frisella?’ So let me explain. The frisella is a large biscuit of durum wheat (also can be made with barley or a combination of both). It’s cooked in the oven, cut in half horizontally and baked again in the oven. Its rock hard. You couldn’t eat it as it is. You would lose a tooth or choke on it as it’s so dry. So what do you do with it?

Many, many moons ago, I remember my Nonna G would make us a frisella as part of our evening snack. I would be fascinated by how she would prepare them. She would grab a frisella and dunk it into a blue plastic bowl of cold water for a few seconds. She would then plate it. Next, she would slice a tomato in half, and squeeze out the tomato seeds before using the tomato skin to spread them across the surface. She would then chop the remainder of the tomato and place it on top. Repeat with the other half. Drizzle over extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle dry oregano and season with salt. That is one way of eating it.

You can enjoy it with so many other toppings; tuna and tomato, roasted peppers, leftover veg etc. It’s such a versatile food. I can guarantee that 99% of Puglians have frisella in their cupboards.

You can find them prepared at small casual eating spots or at a sagra (a food festival where the town celebrate a local food or drink). Or head to the local supermarket, where you can buy them in bulk and prepare them yourself at home.

As some of you may know, pasta is essential to Italian food heritage. Each region has its shapes and sauces that it prides itself on, and Puglia is no different. Unlike the north of Italy, pasta is eggless in the south and made with durum wheat or semolina or a combination of both with just water. So, vegans, this is the place for you if you want some great homemade pasta.

Three pasta shapes are popular down these ends.

Sagne – It’s cut into thick flat ribbons and then twisted.

Orecchiette – are known as little ears.

Maccheroni– Thin small tubes. Both orecchiette and maccheroni are usually served together in Puglia.

Many different sauces go with these pasta shapes. But in my opinion, pasta served with a fresh tomato homemade sauce with grated cacioricotta is one of the best. In my opinion, Puglian tomatoes are the most outstanding. They taste what tomatoes should taste like, so juicy and sweet. There is no other place on this earth where you will find tomato sauce like this. Finish off the dish with grated cacioricotta. It’s a mix of sheep and goats milk, a hybrid of cheese (cacio) and ricotta, hence the name. Its a creamy cheese with a slightly firm texture.

The next two dishes go hand in hand and represent the term ‘cucina povera‘. These go way back in time and represents the type of food people use to eat back in the day when eating meat was not an option.

Pure di fave e cicorielle – dry broad bean puree served with sautéed cicorie (which is an edible wild plant found in these ends, actually part of the dandelion family- cool fact huh?!) served with bread.

Muersi fritti or Panecotto – fried stale bread (nothing would get wasted) cooked in olive oil with broccoli rabe and cannellini beans. You can create this dish with whatever vegetable or pulses are available at the time.

These two recipes are extremely honest and reflect some of the tougher times in the south. However, these are still embraced by the locals and never forgotten, appreciating the better times now.

Enjoy these dishes at a local masserie or a sagre.

When it comes to cakes and pastries, the Pugliese know what they are doing. The ‘pasticceria‘ – bakery/pastry shops are unreal. Breakfast is the best where you can get a wide selection of baked goodies. However, for me, one of the most iconic pastries of all is the pasticiotto. There are many versions all over Italy. However, the real fact is that these originated from Galatina, in Salento, Puglia. So if you want the real thing, you must try them here. Shortcrust pastry tarts filled with custard which has a hint of lemon, baked in the oven and usually served warm.

Warning: these get very addictive, and before you know it, you’ve put on three stone. But if you’re happy. Got for it!

As mentioned before, meat plays a small part in the local cuisine. However, if there is a meat dish you have to try, hunt down Bombette. These are fantastic meat rolls. Originally from the Bari area, these are the ultimate Puglian street food. Originally made with thin slices of pork (capocollo, neck fillet) filled with caciocavallo cheese (strong aged cows milk cheese), parsley, salt and pepper. There are usually served roasted or chargrilled.

They originated from the fact that the Pugliese couldn’t afford to eat meat, especially during and after the war. So they created these bad boys with any scraps of meat they could find. Little did they know that their poverty created an incredible delicacy for us to enjoy. Grazie Mille!!!

You can find all different versions of bombette. I had some with speck and smoked mozzarella, pancetta, others wrapped in courgette. However, the original version to me is the go-to bombette.

Another popular street food that you can grab and eat it on the go is the focaccia barese. The best way to describe it is the Puglian version of a pizza — a thick doughy bread topped or filled with a number of different toppings.

Toppings include tomato, olives and capers, or tomato sauce with sautéed rabe, peppers and capers or even stuffed with salami and mozzarella. To be honest, the list of options could be as long as my arm and leg put together. The perfect snack to have while chilling on the beach or in the evening.

Apart from these fantastic food recommendations, there are a few other travel tips I would love to give you.

1. Avoid August, especially the second and third week of the month. It’s in the middle of Ferragosto – an Italian bank holiday. It gets crazy busy and hectic.
2. Please hire a car. It’s so hard to get around without one. Public transport is so limited and doesn’t reach all the places. So you will better off relying on yourself to get around.
3. Arm yourself with a few words and phrases in Italian. This part of the country is not like some of the other touristy parts of Italy. Though a lot of the younger generation can speak basic English, the older generation is fair to say, have zero knowledge. However, people are very proud and protective of their region. If you show an effort to try and speak the language, it will get you far. People in Puglia are so kind and helpful, and your experience could completely change if you create a friendship with a local.
4. If you would like to take part in an amazing food tour, then check out Salento food porn for greatly priced tours and food experience.
5. Try and find out about the local festa or sagra during your stay (local food festival) where you will get a true experience of the people, the culture, the music and of course the food.