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Best Apulian Foods
Burrata, literary meaning buttered, is an artisan cheese from the Puglia region of Southern Italy, especially the provinces of Bari and Barletta-Andria-Trani. The cheese is made by hand with cow's milk, rennet, and cream. It is believed that the cheese was created by Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa, a cheesemaker who had an idea to form a shell of stretched mozzarella strings and fill it with luscious, rich cream and smaller, leftover pieces of mozzarella.
The result was a true delicacy with the creamiest interior and a rich flavor of fresh milk, which very quickly became extremely popular. Burrata should be eaten as fresh as possible - ideally within 24 hours of being made. It can be served alone, seasoned only with some salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, but it is also delicious when accompanied by fresh tomatoes and prosciutto crudo, or when used as a topping for pizzas or bruschettas.
Pair with
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Mozzarella
This Apulian delicacy is traditionally prepared with a soft, yeasted dough that combines semolina, wheat flour, and mashed potatoes. It is usually topped with cherry tomatoes and olives, but some varieties occasionally employ other combination of ingredients, such as different vegetables, coarse salt, or rosemary.
Always baked in round tins, focaccia is usually doused in olive oil and is best served lukewarm.
MOST ICONIC Focaccia Barese
Panino col polpo is a traditional sandwich originating from the Bari area. This simple sandwich is made with a combination of octopus, bread rolls, olive oil, parsley, salt, and black pepper. The octopus is washed, brushed with olive oil, and grilled slowly over embers while being brushed with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley as it cooks.
Once done, the octopus is placed into a split bread roll, and the sauce is drizzled over the top of the octopus. This tasty sandwich is common during Apulian festivals and it can often be bought on street stands.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Panini
MOST ICONIC Panino col polpo
These crescent-shaped turnovers are traditionally prepared for the Carnival season, and even though it is believed that they originated in the Apulia region, panzerotti are extremely popular all across southern Italy. They resemble small calzone pizzas—both in shape and the dough used for its preparation—but instead of being oven-baked, panzerotti are deep-fried, which is why they're also called calzoni fritti (fried calzones), pizze fritte (fried pizzas), or simply frittelle (fritters).
The classic panzerotto filling consists of merely tomatoes and mozzarella, but they can be filled with pretty much anything and in various combinations: prosciutto-mozzarella, pepperoni-provolone, spinach-ricotta, zucchini-mozzarella, onion-olives-tomatoes, speck-fontina, etc.
MOST ICONIC Panzerotti
This traditional Italian savory treat is prepared with various fillings that are enclosed between two layers of puff pastry. Typically round in shape, rustico is usually filled with a combination of béchamel sauce, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, but there are also varieties that employ spinach or ricotta.
Unlike other local delicacies from Salento and Lecce, rustico is not part of the traditional country-style cuisine and is believed to have developed in the 1700s, following the invention of béchamel sauce. The pastry is a common street food item, and it is mainly enjoyed as a breakfast or an afternoon snack.
MOST ICONIC Rustico
View moreScamorza is an Italian pasta filata cheese made with cow's milk. The cheese is shaped into two connected balls, one smaller than the other. Its texture is semi-soft, firm, and chewy, while the flavors are milky and smoky. These two balls of cheese are strung to ripen for 2 weeks, and the process gives the cheese its name, meaning beheaded.
Scamorza can also be smoked, and it is then called scamorza affumicata. Often compared to mozzarella, Scamorza has a flavor that is more creamy and sweet than that of mozzarella, and it is also much drier. It is recommended to bake it as it melts well, or it can be used on top of pizza or lasagne.
Pair with
Pasticciotto is a popular Italian dessert consisting of a shortcrust pastry filled with flavorful pastry cream. Traditionally, the crust is made with lard, so that it is moister and softer than the regular crust prepared with butter. It is recommended to consume pasticciotto fresh out of the oven when it is still piping hot.
Many believe that the dessert was invented in the 18th century by Andrea Ascalone, a chef from Galatina.
MOST ICONIC Pasticciotto
View moreMAIN INGREDIENTS
Orecchiette con cime di rapa (orecchiette with broccoli rabe) is one of the most popular pasta dishes from the Italian region of Apulia, especially beloved in the region's capital, Bari. Orecchiette have a perfect shape for scooping up the chunky pieces of boiled broccoli rabe, or rapini - a leafy, green vegetable closely related to turnip.
This simple rustic dish is enriched with freshly grated, aged hard cheese (usually Pecorino Romano) and a sprinkle of crushed peperoncino flakes. Orecchiette con cime di rapa is best enjoyed immediately after the preparation, served with a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Serve with
MAIN INGREDIENTS
This variation on parmigiana di melanzane hails from Puglia. The recipe for this Puglia-style casserole sometimes calls for using zucchini instead of eggplant, along with olive oil, flour, eggs, tomatoes, mozzarella, cooked sausage meat, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The eggplants or zucchinis are peeled, sliced, dredged in flour and eggs, then fried. Tomato sauce is ladled into a baking dish, followed by fried eggplant slices, mozzarella, and sausage meat. The layers are repeated, ending with tomato sauce and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Parmigiana
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Cozze alla Tarantina is a delicious seafood appetizer consisting of delicate, meaty mussels served in a spicy tomato sauce. It is important that the mussels are as fresh as possible. The tomato sauce is typically flavored with garlic, parsley, chiles, olive oil, white wine, and pepper.
For the best experience, it is recommended to serve the dish with toasted bread or croutons, which can be used to mop up all of the flavorful juices. Pair it with Pinot Grigio, Vermentino, Chardonnay, or Riesling.
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