Listen to “233. A Taste of Puglia: Local Dishes and Flavors to Try” on Spreaker.
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Puglia, the sun-drenched region in the heel of Italy’s boot, offers a culinary tradition as rich and diverse as its landscape. Known for its fertile plains and extensive coastline, Puglia’s cuisine is a celebration of fresh, locally sourced ingredients, where the simplicity of preparation allows the natural flavors to shine.
From the world-renowned olive oil and delicious focaccia made with it, to distinctive orecchiette pasta, bountiful seafood and vibrant array of vegetable dishes, the food of Puglia is a true reflection of its agricultural heritage. We explore the delectable dishes and culinary customs that make Puglia a gastronomic paradise.
Summary
In this episode, we talk to Flavia Giordano of Spaghetti ABC, a food educator, cookbook writer, and certified taster (someone’s got to do it!). With her archaeologist background and passion for the food of her region, Flavia brings the flavors of her native Puglia to life, shedding light on the region’s unique flavors and dishes.
What you’ll learn in this episode
- Discover the key ingredients that define the flavors of Puglia, from sun-kissed tomatoes and artichokes to fava beans and wild chicory
- With Puglia responsible for 50% of Italy’s olive oil production, its exceptional olive oil is integral to much of the region’s cuisine
- We delve into Puglia’s unique artisanal products, such as pulled cheeses, sweet red onions, and the renowned Mandorla di Toritto almond used in delectable marzipan pastries
- Puglia’s cuisine shines with its vibrant vegetable dishes, showcasing the region’s high-quality produce, making it an ideal place to visit for vegetarians and vegans
- Savor the diverse and delightful street food options in Puglia, from panzerotti to focaccia, each offering a taste of the local culinary heritage
- Understand Puglia’s culinary love for bitter, digestive-aiding greens like chicory and wild fennel
- Why you won’t find local sea urchins, a popular Pugliese delicacy for a few years to come
- Simplicity and amazing quality ingredients are key to this region’s cuisine – less is more!
Timeline Overview
- 06:33 Puglia’s iconic produce: from burrata and caciocavallo cheeses to famous almond and tomato varieties
- 12:39 Beloved Pugliese dishes: antipasti to prime
- 23:10 Pugliese pasta
- 25:04 The region’s naturally gluten-free and vegan dishes
- 39:07 Must-try sweet treats from Puglia
About our guest – Flavia Giordano
Flavia Giordano is an Italian cookbook author, eclectic food educator and certified taster.
Born and raised in Bari (Puglia), since 2005 she built her career as a gastronomy author for magazines and publishers, coordinating editorial projects to promote Italian food culture and diversity.
After living in France and the US, Flavia moved to Sweden for 8 years, running the first Italian cooking school in Malmö. She is now back in her home region of Puglia, in the picturesque town of Polignano a Mare, right by the sea where she celebrates Italian food through cooking classes, food tours and sensory events for international guests.
Her mission is to guide guests through the biodiversity of Italian cuisine. It’s not just about cooking; it’s a sensory experience that goes beyond the recipe. Her goal is to provide guests with a key to unlock the culinary roots of Italy and Puglia.
Follow Flavia here
Italian places, foods and concepts mentioned
Places
- Bari – capital city of Puglia
- Polignano a Mare – beautiful old town with a dramatic cliffside. Wonderful in the summertime, quiet in the off-season
- Andria – city in the north of Puglia famous for producing wine, olives and almonds as well as being where burrata cheese was created
- Quasano, Torrito – places that produce the region’s famous Toritto almonds
- Torre Guaceto – a nature reserve near Salento in the south of Puglia
- Acquaviva delle Fonti – town in Puglia famous for its DOP red onions
- Taranto – port town in Puglia famous for its mussels
- Salento – area in the heel of the Italian boot
- Gargano – in northern Puglia. It is said to be in the spur of the boot
- Sammichele di Bari – an I Borghi più belli d’Italia (the most beautiful villages of Italy), it has the patron saint is St. Michael the Archangel
- Altamura – Puglian town southwest of Bari, on the Murge plateau
- Bisceglie – town on the Adriatic Coast of Puglia
- Lecce – beautiful, baroque city with the second highest population in Puglia
- Galatina – town in Lecce province, known before the unification as San Pietro in Galatina
Foods
- pasta filata – a type of cheese, with the name translated as spun paste. It is a pulled curd cheese
- scamorza – a type of pasta filata cheese that is matured. It can be smoked and is known as scamorza affumicata
- caciocavallo – another pasta filata cheese shaped like a teardrop more aged than the scamorza
- cacioricotta – a hybrid of ricotta and aged cheese
- semola – durum wheat used in pastas and bread in Puglia (durum means hard)
- orecchiette, cavatelli – durum wheat pastas popular in Pugliese cooking
- toritto almond – the region’s almond – famous for its status as slow food presidia
- pomodoro Fiaschetto di Torre Guaceto, datterino – varieties of tomato
- pelati – peeled tomato
- peperonata – a vegetable stew
- polpette di pane – a kind of meatless meatball made with stale bread and cheese and deep-fried
- focaccia Barese – the focaccia bread of Bari
- sgagliozze – fried polenta cubes
- popizze – fried balls of panzerotti dough
- crudo alla Barese – cubes of ham with olive oil and pepper. A popular street food in Bari
- calzone di cipolla alla Pugliese – the Puglian onion pie. You can have olives in it and in Bari they use anchovies and raisins
- agrodolce – sweet and sour foods
- acquaviva red onion – slow food presidia red onion from Acquaviva delle Fonti
- sponzale – a type of leek often used in the calzone di cipolla
- lampascioni – a foraged wild onion
- vincotto – a sweet paste made from grape reduction
- cicoria – wild chicory
- paparina – poppy leaves from Salento that are stewed for a bitter treat
- cozze gratinate – mussels gratin
- cima di rapa – turnip tops/broccoli rabe, a green cruciferous vegetable used in a classic Pugliese dish with orecchiette
- orecchiette alla crudaiola – the classic pasta with tomatoes
- braciole – a type of meat roll used in a ragu for an orecchiette dish
- cozze e fagioli – dish with cavatelli pasta, beans and mussels
- riso patate e cozze – baked rice with potatoes and mussels, great gluten-free option. Also known as Tiella barese
- fava cicoria – great vegan option of pureed beans and chicory
- ciceri e tria – a dish of pasta (tria – a small macaroni-like pasta) with chickpeas, with some of the pasta fried on top for a crunch
- pancotto – humble dish of bread soup found particularly in the Gargano area of Puglia
- zampina – a type of sausage made with sheep meat, tomatoes, pecorino, basil and seasoning – now often mixed with beef
- bombette – meaning little bomb, these are little pork rolls with cheese and ham
- polpo nell’aqua sua – octopus cooked in its own water. Just the octopus, tomatoes, potatoes, and olives slow-cooked
- nghiemeridde or turcinello – grilled meat rolls made with offal
- cicoria di catalogna – like puntarelle, a type of bitter leaf often eaten raw
- finocchio – Italian for fennel, it features raw in salads
- barattiere – a type of bitter melon which looks like a cucumber – another staple in summer salads
- tette delle monache – translating to nun’s breasts, due to how these sweet small cakes look
- sospiri – a similar cake to tette delle monache, but covered in icing sugar – found in the Bisceglie area
- pasticciotto Leccese – from Lecce but you also find in Bari these days – it’s a short-crust pastry tart filled with custard
- fruttone Leccese – a variation of pasticciotto Leccese with cotognata (quince jelly), marzipan and chocolate frosting
- cartellate – rose shaped Christmas fritters, a particular favorite street food in Bari
- griwech – a type of pastry from Algerian. Translated from Arabic it means ‘crunchy’
- sugo di pomodoro – tomato sauce
Words / Concepts
- terracielo – a home on various levels, starting with the ground terra and a terrace up to the cielo, the sky
- macelleria – butchers shop
- capocollo – pork neck
- quinto quarto – translating to the 5th quarter, it refers to using the offal of an animal
- panificio – a bakery
- la pausa – a short stop or break usually referring to siesta time
Related content on Untold Italy
Podcasts
- Ep 229 – How Puglia is redefining its wine culture
- Ep 224 – Brilliant Bari
- Ep 194 – Lovely Lecce – Italy’s southern beauty
- Ep 135 – Ancient connections along Puglia’s pilgrim trails
- Ep 080 – Picturesque towns of Puglia
- Ep 046 – Foodie adventures in Puglia
Articles
- Puglia travel guide
- Things to do in Puglia
- Puglia towns
- Best places to stay in Puglia
- Best Agriturismo in Puglia
- Things to do in Bari
- Things to do in Lecce
- Puglia food guide
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