Wherever I am in the world, including at home, I always try to eat seasonally and locally. It just makes sense to me to eat food that is fresh, which hasn’t added to global warming by travelling thousands of miles to reach a supermarket and to give my money to someone who is working hard to produce good food, locally to where I’m eating it. Most importantly, it normally tastes better too!

Of course the Italians have always eaten this way, this is one of the many reasons I love them and their food. Puglian cuisine is as unique to the region as in most other parts of Italy, but perhaps not quite so well known. Southern Italians endured centuries of hardship and poverty which led them to be super creative with vegetables and wheat, as well as olive oil. Often referred to as Cucina Povera (literally ‘poor kitchen’), indicating the resourcefulness of the local’s approach to food, it actually means that Puglians have always used the local bounty of what the land and sea produces for them. Puglia is therefore a great destination for non-meat eaters and, never being far from the ocean, fresh fish and seafood is always on offer. Puglians are very proud of their cooking and traditions and I am so pleased that the food of the region is becoming a big draw for visitors from all over the globe, as it really is world class cooking.

Here are some highlights, examples and favourites of mine…

*Pure di fave with cime di rapa at Bell’Italia*

On our latest trip to Puglia, I was desperate to try fava (broad) bean puree (pure di fave), as I had never tried it before and it is a very traditional Puglian (and much of Southern Italy) dish. We had it a few nights into our trip, at Ristorante Bell'Italia in Cisternino, and I was not disappointed! It looks a bit bland but the flavour is so smooth, rich and interesting; this was just a starter and disappeared in minutes!! Broad beans are native to Puglia and have been grown there for thousands of years.

The greens in the photo are cime di rapa, the unofficial vegetable of Puglia, which is in the broccoli family and tastes a little bitter but is absolutely delicious! This vegetable is very common and usually served with pure di fave. Another one of the most famous dishes of Puglia is orecchiette con cime di rapa where the tenderest shoots of the plant are combined with anchovies and plenty of olive oil and added to the orrechiette pasta; another icon of Puglia.

*A pasta dish made using orrechiette (photo by Italian Food Forever)*

The word orrechiette translates as ‘little ears’, which indeed the circular pasta shapes look like, as well as the conical roofs of the Trulli houses of the region! The shape is great at soaking up all the juices of a sauce and as the pasta is part made with semolina, they have a more unusual texture.

*Two sizes of taralli plus bread and olives*

A firm favourite savoury item that normally comes out with drinks at most bars in Puglia are taralli; circular crackers made from durum wheat flour, white wine, fennel seeds, salt and extra virgin olive oil and completely addictive! Too many of these before dinner and you definitely won’t be managing the Italian four courses of antipasti, primi, secondi and dolce! They last for ages as they are boiled before being baked which makes them a great take home or holiday gift from Puglia.

I have already covered how Puglians use a lot of vegetables in their cooking however there is also a huge abundance of sweet, delicious fruit! On this trip, we were in the height of the cherry season and it was wonderful to see the ruby red jewels growing on many trees and to be able to buy them so cheaply in markets everywhere for a healthy sugar boost!

On our day trip to Matera, (an incredible place, not actually in Puglia but in neighbouring Basilicata, which I will write about in a future post), I was very excited to try for the first time lampascioni, which are the bulbs of the grape hyacinth. They are a delicacy over much of Italy but very common in Puglia as they are more plentiful where there are lots of grapevines. They can be eaten in many ways (but must be cooked) and we had them fried as part of an antipasti selection and really loved their pungent, slightly bitter taste.

Seafood, ah seafood! Puglia is surrounded by the sea and therefore ultra-fresh seafood is plenteous; it is so fresh that you can often find lots of it raw. Gamberi rossi, our favourite, plump, juicy, creamy absolutely delicious raw scarlet prawns, can be found all over Puglia (and much of Sicily as we found on our first trip there last year) and you cannot beat a plate of them for a super-healthy starter! You will also find raw tuna, swordfish, squid, bream, bass - please do not be squeamish, get stuck in and enjoy fish and seafood at its freshest (even better accompanied by a crisp glass of vino bianco or frizzante (semi-sparkling wine)!

Of course not limited to Puglia is the excellent gelato which you can find all over Italy! We recently discovered mandorla (almond) flavour, which has that frangipane, almost perfumed flavour, so moreish and quite often flecked with pieces of the precious nuts which grow all over Puglia. We frequently skip dolce in restaurants and move to a bar where we order café al banco and one scoop of gelato or sorbetto and take in the conversations and activities of the other people in the bar.

At the bottom of the picture above, you can spy some pasticciotto – traditional pastry/cakes from the Salento region of Puglia which are perfect for breakfast. They are made from a light shortcrust pastry and filled with either custard (quite often lemon flavoured) or ricotta – yum!!

Another favourite tradition of ours is to stop for ultra-strong espressos at service stations when driving around; they are busy social meeting hubs, like the pubs of Italy, and there is often a huddle of interesting looking local people and you can always get an excellent, strong and cheap coffee to keep you going!

Some other favourite dishes and foods of ours are burrata, which has understandably become quite popular in the UK as it is a more creamy and decadent than the more widespread mozzarella. It has a mozzarella casing but as you cut in a light, creamy cheese oozes out which actually has a curiously cleansing and faintly acidic taste which is delightful. Burrata was created relatively recently, in the 1920s, in the northern Puglia province of Andria by Lorenzo Bianchino Chieppa – remember that name next time you are bursting a burrata open in your local Italian restaurant!

We are also completely obsessed with carciofi (artichokes) which are grown throughout southern Italy, producing 50% of the world’s artichoke crop! During their harvest season, through autumn into winter, they are everywhere and become a key ingredient in many dishes in Puglia, rather than just a token component of antipasti.

I hope this has given you a brief snapshot of why we love the food of Puglia so much and what to look out for when you travel there. As always in Italy, you can’t beat a fresh plate of spaghetti alle vongole, with a glass of vino bianco for a beachside lunch – a photo of another happy memory to finish with!

Please do get in touch if you have any questions about Puglian food or if you would like some restaurant recommendations for your trip to Puglia. Happy eating!