Every Italian region has its own characteristic food and every Italian region is extremely proud of its local cuisine. Puglia is no exception, having some of the most delicious and mouthwatering food that I have ever tasted (I mean devoured). In a land blessed with sun and sea, you can be sure that everything you eat will be local and fresh: delicious fish and seafood, scrumptious fruits and vegetables, luscious barbecue meat and tasty cheeses, yummy home made desserts… there is a bit for everyone’s taste.

Here is a list of some of the delicacies that I still dream of…

Pasticciotto

Invented in Lecce in 1745, Pasticciotto is an Italian pastry filled with custard (depending on the region, it may be filled with ricotta instead). The description can’t render enough the soft pastry and the warm custard heart. Eat as many as you can because it’s going to be hard to find one of them back home – wherever you are from.

Taralli, Olive e Burrata

Taralli are a typical snack of Southern Italy, sort of crackers. You will find them in different flavor but the most common ones are with onion, garlic or fennel. Olives don’t need any introduction. You will find them everywhere. Burrata (pictured on the back of the plate) is a fresh cheese made from cows milk similar to a mozzarella but with a texture ten times softer and stringer than its cousin. It’s original from Andria and it looks like a small sachet (but burrata can get up to 1 Kg) with an heart of “strings” (stracciatella) and cream. To die for.

Puccia

Possibly one of the yummiest quick lunch you can have. All over Puglia you wil find different types of puccia that actually look all very different (some similar to an open sandwich, other bread with olives). The one above was in a deli store in Ostuni and it was fabulous.

Also, a quick mention should be made for the rustico: unfortunately, I devoured mine too quickly before even taking a picture! 😦 it’s a rounded puff pastry of 10-15 min diameter, filled with béchamel, mozzarella and tomato, to be eaten hot. It’s original from Lecce area and locals tend to eat it as a quick snack before dinner (!). You will find it in most delis and it’s worth a try.

Ricci di mare

I first tested ricci (sea urchin) a few years ago in Malta and, since then, I am officially in love. Best with pasta, in Puglia you will see people sharing dozens of these raw delicacies and extracting the juice as if it’s the last thing they will do. Quite aphrodisiac too, so go for it! Sea urchins hunting is strictly regulated in Italy and in Puglia it’s forbidden to hunt them between April 30th and June 30th (fishermen can hunt limited quantities throughout the year) so keep that in mind if you want fresh ones.

Pettole

Possibly one of the fattiest thing you can eat in Puglia, pettole are balls of deep fried dough. People from Puglia eat them like an appetizer. Basically, we nibble on crisps, they nibble on pettole. Every town in Puglia (and not only Puglia) has its own tradition as far as when to prepare them and how to eat them. The picture above was taken when I attended the Liberation Day Lunch on April 25th with my friend’s family. I am from Milan and in Puglia I am considered as foreign as you (probably more). I can’t understand their dialect so I couldn’t interact as much as I’d like but once food is on the table, everyone speaks the same language!

Riso patate e cozze

It translates: rice, potato and mussels. More typical of Bari area, to be fair I haven’t found this dish very often in any menu and I actually only ate it twice, the first one being at my friend’s house but it was delicious so if you read it on a menu, you should try it.

Orecchiette 

Fresh pasta is an Italian prerogative but orecchiette (“small ear”) is the most common variety of home-made pasta in Puglia. You can bet you will find them on every menu in Puglia, the most common being with cime di rapa (broccoli) or al sugo di cavallo (horse ragu with tomato based sauce) sprinkled with a variety of strong ricotta cheese. Delicious! Cavatelli (pictured on the left side in the pictures above) is another very typical home made pasta. I took the pictures above at 5 AM in the morning at my friend’s home: we had just come back from a night out and her mum had been awake preparing fresh pasta for all the family! I felt very bad for having been out all night (and morning!!) but we felt soooo good knowing that lunch would have been heavenly!

I have been in a few Michelin restaurants in my life but none in Italy. But, to be fair, who needs a star when you have got this? If you decide to visit Puglia, stick to the simple recipes, the local products and the healthy portions and you will be in heaven.

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A separate mention should be made for 2 other star products of Puglia: oil and wine.

Oil is Puglia’s gold and you will see it by yourself: acres and acres of olives dot the whole region. When the land is so dry and the water so scarce, almost nothing else grows as good as olive trees. Don’t be shy and ask a small plate to dip your bread in: from a sparkling green to a beautiful dark golden color, olive oil will always be on your table.

Some of the best Italian red and full-bodied wines come from this region: Primitivo di Manduria, Salice Salentino, Negroamaro to name a few. We had an unforgettable wine experience in a beautiful place called Cantine Menhir in Minervino di Lecce. To be fair, I didn’t have any bad wine while in Puglia so it will be very difficult for you to go wrong.

For more information on the best wines of the region, you can have a look at www.vinidipuglia.com or www.lestradedelvinopuglia.it, both very well done websites with lots of information on the local wines and an event page to see what’s on in the region.