Episode #266: Murgia – Bread, burrata and Bond!

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Summary

In this episode, we explore the culinary wonders of Murgia in Puglia, from traditional dishes to foraged delights like wild herbs and mushrooms. Joining us is Flavia Giordano of Spaghetti ABC – food tour guide, cookbook writer, and certified taster, who shares her passion and insight into the region’s unique flavors and hidden food treasures.

What you’ll learn in this episode

• Exploring Murgia – the heart of Puglia. Flavia shares her vast knowledge about the Murgia area, a place that boasts of unique rocky landscapes, vibrant biodiversity, and layers of rich history, harking back to the days when dinosaurs roamed
• The area is known for finding dinosaur fossils and famously, L’uomo di Altamura (Altamura man), the fossilized remains of a man from between 120-187 thousand years ago, discovered in 1993 in the Lamalunga Cave – affectionately known as Ciccillo
• The unique towns and cities of the area, like Altamura, Gravina, Corato, Ruvo and Andria, are epicenters of history and unique gastronomy 
• The iconic pane di Altamura (bread) is known for its signature taste and fascinating communal baking traditions. Discover more about local cheese delicacies like the aged mozzarella from Gravina, and dive into the delightful world of burrata from Andria
• Murgia is a land of mystical castles and ancient history. The enigmatic Castel Del Monte, a UNESCO heritage site, has intriguing histories and an unparalleled view of Puglia’s landscapes – not to mention their own delicious wines
• It’s a wine lover’s paradise with its distinguished DOCG wines like the Castel del Monte Bombino Nero Rosé and Nero di Troia
• The natural park makes it perfect for hikes where you can come across incredible nature and unique flora, such as wild orchids
• Flavia introduces us to the unique foraged delights of the region, from wild chicory to the unusual lampascioni bulbs and cardoncelli mushrooms

Timeline Overview

• 05:50 Murgia is full of ancient energy and history from pre-historic to Magna Graecia findings
• 12:36 Altamura’s traditional community bread baking made the town famous for its Pane di Altamura
• 21:26 Castel Del Monte – alongside the history of this mystical octagonal fortress, they produce some fabulous wines and is part of Italy’s Strada dell’olio
• 26:59 Murgia is famous for its wines, pulses, and nature
• 30:52 Burrata was first created in Murgia and it is home to Burrata di Andria IGP
• 34:32 Lampascione is a unique, bitter tasting product – the bulb of an iris like flower found in the region
• 38:09 Murgia is the perfect place for foraging wild funghi and herbs like borage, chicory, arugula/rocket

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

• Spaghetti ABC Website 
• Instagram

Italian places, foods and concepts mentioned

Places

• Polignano a Mare – beautiful old town in Puglia with a dramatic cliffside
• Murgia –  also known as Murghe and includes the Altopiano delle Murge (Italian for “Murge plateau”) is a region in Puglia
• Altamura, Gravina, Corato, Ruvo di Puglia, Andria – towns in the Murgia area
• Lamalunga – wild area of Murgia
• Castel del Monte – 13th-century citadel on a hill in Andria
• Strada dell’olio – the olive oil walk which goes across Italy covering areas of gastronomic interest
• Alta Murgia National Park – national park surrounding Gravina, part of a larger Special Protection Area. The Parco Nazionale dell’Alta Murgia website has lots of hiking trails and itineraries 

 Foods

• pane di Altamura – breast from Altamura
• pallone di Gravina – sem-hard cow’s milk cheese from Gravina. One of the Slow Food presidia of Italy
• Vito Dicecca – cheese maker from Puglia
• Bombino nero, Nero di Troia – varieties of red Italian wine grape
• Castel del Monte Bombino Nero DOCG – fantastic rose wine
• Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva DOCG, Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva DOCG  – great red wines to try
• Gravina Bianco DOC – a white wine with Malvasia and Greco grapes
• chickpeas and lenticchia di Altamura PGI – special products from Altamura
• Coratina – specialist extra virgin olive oil 
• Burrata di Andria IGP – special burrata produced in Andria
• la scarpetta – the bread you use to mop up the juices of your food – perfect for burrata
• Maillard reaction – chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars to create melanoidins – browning
• lampascioni – a perennial bulbous flowering plant. The bulb itself is the edible part – a bitter, unique product beloved in the region
• vincotto – the dark, thick, sweet paste created when slow cooking and reducing grape must over many hours
• cardoncelli – otherwise known as the king trumpet mushroom or funghi di Ferula that is foraged in Murgia
• cicoria, boragine, rucola – wild chicory, borage and rocket, all bitter greens

Words / Concepts

• Lucy – a collection of several hundred pieces of fossilized bone discovered in Ethiopia in 1974, dating back to around 3.2 million years ago
• L’uomo di Altamura – Altamura man. A fossil of a man discovered in 1993 in the Lamalunga Cave near the city of Altamura (affectionately known as Ciccillo. The bones have been aged as between 128,000 and 187,000 years old
• Magna Graecia – Greek-speaking areas of Southern Italy from around the 8th century BC, in the present-day Calabria, Puglia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily
• No Time to Die – James Bond film from 2021
• steppe – a plain without trees (except from those near rivers and lakes)

Related content on Untold Italy

Podcasts

• Ep 233 – A taste of Puglia – Local flavors and dishes to try
• 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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