Italy’s gateway to the East, Puglia (Apulia in English) has been ruled by the likes of Greek colonists, Roman conquerors, Goths, Lombards, Byzantines, and Normans. But life in the “boot” of southern Italy is much sunnier today than it was centuries ago. Despite a history of economic hardship, the friendly people of Puglia evoke happiness, hospitality, and a love for life and their land. Surrounded by the Adriatic and the Ionian Seas, the magical landscape of Puglia is home to ancient cathedrals, Greek and Roman ruins, rustic fishing villages, lush forests, medieval hill towns, pristine white beaches, and ornate buildings characterized by Puglia’s own spectacular architectural style, called barocco leccese.

The Pugliese appetite for life is matched only by an appetite for good food. Because Pugliese cooking makes the most of the region’s golden wheat fields, plentiful olive groves, ripe vineyards, and close proximity to the Adriatic and the Ionian, la tavla pugliese (the Pugliese table) overflows with fruits of the land and the sea.  The region’s dry, hot climate makes it ideal for growing grano duro, or durum wheat – accounting for the superior, irresistible taste of its bread and pasta – and producing world-renowned olive oil. Fava beans, tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli, and zucchini are just a few of the exquisite vegetables cultivated in the region’s rich, fertile soil. With good cheer and hospitality, delicious food and wine, a Pugliese feast is fit for a king. 

Specialty Foods of Puglia

Compared to other Italian regions, Puglia cultivates most types of wheat, but durum wheat is its main crop.  Most dried pasta is made from durum wheat, the hardest of all wheats. (The word “durum” comes from the Latin word “durus,” meaning “hard.”) Durum wheat’s density, combined with its high protein content and gluten strength, make it the wheat of choice for producing premium pasta products (Barilla pasta is made from 100% durum wheat).  Pasta made from durum is firm and provides a consistent cooking quality.  Whether it’s the appetizing aroma of a steaming bowl of orecchiette pasta or the warm, sweet aroma of homemade bread, the Pugliese know how to produce magic from their bounty of wheat.

As essential to the Italian kitchen as a pasta pot, Apulian olive oil is one of the finest olive oils in the world. Olive oil and table olives are one of the main agricultural products of this region, which accounts for 40 percent of Italy’s output of olive oil.  For a simple taste of Puglia, tear off a generous piece of a local rustic bread, such as Altumura, and dip it into one of the many provincial varieties that range in flavor and intensity such as Coratina, Cima di Bitonto, Cellina di Nardó, Cima di Mola, or L’Olio di Peranzana.

Pasta and bread play a fundamental role in Pugliese cuisine – and Pane di Altumura is at the helm of this tradition. This wonderful bread, made only with durum wheat flour harvested at Alta Murgia near Bari, natural yeast, sourdough, and salt, is shaped into round loaves and baked in ovens, heated exclusively by burning oak wood, until a golden crust is formed.  When freshly baked, it is extremely soft and crunchy, and becomes firmer after a few days.

Food Festivals of Puglia

Puccia all’Ampa Festival
Novoli (January)
Puccia dell’Ampa is a type of flat bread made with durum wheat flour. It is baked a few minutes on each side in a wood-burning oven. After baking, it is filled with pickles or mature Ricotta cheese.

Frisella Festival
Putignano, Laterza and Acquarica, Maglie, Melissano Marittima, Collepasso, Leverano (July or August)
Frisella (also known as frisa or friseddha) start out as a bread ring or bun, which is taken out of the oven halfway through cooking, sliced through the middle, and then put back in the oven and baked again until crisp.  It is dampened slightly with water before being eaten, and is served with cherry tomatoes, oil, oregano, and salt.

Pettola Festival
Rutigliano (end of December)
Pettola is a kind of fritter, made with wheat, lukewarm water, extra virgin olive oil, yeast, and cinnamon, that is fried in olive oil and served hot, sprinkled with salt or sugar or dunked in mulled wine.