The Puglia Food Guide: By Tre Gioie

and What to order from the menu

by Marcella Cazzato
@marcellacazzato // @tregioiedallapuglia

One of the thousand reasons to go to Puglia is the food and as a Dutch/Italian with roots in Puglia, I can testify to that.

Every Summer we went to Puglia to visit our family and that month was always completely focused on food: dinners with the family, strolling in the markets for olives and taralli, my nonna making the very best pasta, and visiting friends and family who made olive oil so we could enjoy the best olive oil in The Netherlands. My dad even went fishing himself so we could have fresh polpo for lunch.

I was raised with a great love for good food and a father who taught me what to order from the menu in Puglia and what not to order. This way I always had the best dishes from the restaurant and I always tried something new. Unfortunately, you probably can’t take my dad with you on a vacation to Puglia, so that is why I made this food guide for you with some things you should order when you are in Puglia.

Antipasti

Antipasti is my favorite part of the southern Italian kitchen because there are a lot of vegetarian options that are so well prepared.

Most restaurants offer antipasti from the house with a lot of different things that you may have never seen before, just try it. You will love it.

Every dish is full of flavor, so pure and made with local ingredients. What else could you wish for? It’s the definition of slow food. So you should also take your time.

Rushing is never good and also impolite.

Taralli

If you have been to Puglia and did not have Taralli I am not sure you have actually been in Puglia.

Maybe you ended up in the wrong place, because Taralli is everywhere. In the bars, supermarkets, souvenir shops and restaurants you can find these amazing snacks. They are made with a lot of different ingredients like rosemary, fennel (my favorite), olives, dried tomatoes and so much more.

The people from Puglia know how to work with flour, that is one thing that is for sure. Taralli is again one of the great outcomes of a flour project by a mother that had nothing but flour and olive oil in her home to make food for her kids. Now the people enjoy it next to their Aperol, in the evening as a snack or even pack a bag filled with Taralli for a beach day.

Cafe leccese

Do you think you had the best coffee in Italy? Wait until you try a Caffe Leccese.

This traditional iced coffee with almond syrup is my go-to drink during summer and it is hard for me to only order one so, I always try to steal a sip from anyone who is with me.

You can get this iced coffee in the afternoon to cool down, but it is also perfect for breakfast together with a pasticciotto.

Pasticciotti

Breakfast in Puglia is important.

It’s always had with coffee, tasty, but most of all always very sweet.

Most people enjoy a cornetto vuoto (empty), con cioccolato or con crema with their espresso, but you can also order the highly loved pasticciotto.

Pasticciotto is a small cake made of pastry and dates from 1745.
You can find them everywhere in Puglia, but Lecce is most famous for its pasticciotti.

Pro tip: get them while they are still warm. I challenge you to think of a better start of the day.

Fichi

The fichi (aka figs) play a very important role in the diets of the southern Italian people. The fruit is very high in antioxidants and vitamins. The figs are eaten by the Italians throughout the whole day in the Summer and are seen as one of the secret ingredients of the long life span of the southern Italians. 

The figs are not very often on the menu at the restaurants, but that’s no problem at all. You can just get them for free! In Puglia there are a lot of fig trees next to the roads where you can take one or two fresh figs by hand. A lot of people do it. Isn’t that the best thing? Just be polite and don’t take all of them and when you park your car next to the road, be safe! 

Ricci di mare

Another product from the sea that I had to share is the ricci di mare. It is one of the delicacies in Puglia that all the tourists want to try and all locals are eating for the thousandth time.

You can find these at the markets during Summer and you can even get them from the water yourself if you have some diving skills. The edible part of the ricci are the orange/red parts. These are traditionally eaten in pasta, with bread or just separately with a spoon or with your tongue.

This way you get the best flavor experience. 

Orecchiette con cime di rapa

When I see this on the menu in Puglia, I instantly order it. I am on a quest to find the best orecchiette con cime di rape in Puglia.

Current number one: the one made by my zia.

Oh, you were expecting a restaurant suggestion?

Okay here you go: the orecchiette at Boccaccio in Santa Maria di Leuca takes second place. Orecchiette in Puglia is almost always freshly made by hand and that is what makes this dish so amazing. The difference between freshly made pasta and packed pasta is insane. So when they have it on the menu, order it!

Vongole

As a vegetarian, I don’t eat the fish and the meat from Puglia anymore, but I have eaten Linguine alle vongole multiple times and I could not leave it out for you.

The best fresh fish and shellfish can always be found in the villages along the water.

If the dish is well prepared you will enjoy it so much that you want to eat the shells completely clean and order another basket of bread to eat all the sauce with.

That is a promise.

Frise

Frise is the perfect example of simple, pure food. It is nothing more than flour, salt, water, fresh tomatoes and olive oil and it is delicious.

Frise is a traditional Italian rust bread originated from Puglia.

The traditional frise is eaten with a lot of tomatoes, but sometimes they add some burrata to it and it is just the absolute best!

Extra tip: take some frise with you when you are going home. It is the sort of food that you just want to have stacked in your pantry, because it lasts for a long time and it is super easy to make.

In the past it was eaten a lot by field workers and fishermen. To prepare the frise soak it in water until it is softer. My father always cuts small tomatoes in half and presses the tomato “juice” on the frise and then adds a lot of tomatoes on it. I don’t know if this is the correct way to do it, but my dad is from Puglia so he can make up the rules, right? 

Extra vergine olio di oliva

I could not leave the extra vergine olio di oliva unmentioned, because most of the dishes I mentioned before wouldn’t be as good without the olive oil.

The best extra vergine olio di oliva comes from Puglia. There, I said it, end of discussion!

Okay I may be a bit biased, but I know what good olive oil tastes like (I probably have more olive oil than water in my body) so I know the olive oil from Puglia is very good and I also know that you can’t prepare a good Apulian meal without it.

The Italian kitchen is not at all complicated. It is about simple meals with the best fresh ingredients. That is how a simple frise can taste like a five-star meal. If you want to start cooking like an Italian, start with this extra vergine olive oil from Tre Gioie. The olives are taken by hand, cold-pressed, not mixed with older pressings and of course no added chemicals to make it last longer, just pure olive oil.

You can check out Marcella Cazzato over at Tre gioie - where she sells the most beautiful handmade Apulian linen and olive oil.

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