Food Tour second part: PUGLIA.

Puglia, the heel of Italy’s “boot” well known for its beautiful nature, the beaches, historic monuments, the music, for an international festival and, of course,  food and wine. With our imaginary food tour, we already went in the main city, Bari, to eat “orecchiette con le cime di rape” and in Altamura, to taste one of the best breads in the all world. Like many other regions in south Italy, the culinary tradition in Puglia is part of what we call “cucina povera:” recipes that are tasty but prepared with simple ingredients, easy to find everywhere. 

SALENTO: LECCE, BEACHES AND “FRISELLA”

From Bari, let’s go south,  along the Adriatic coast; let’s have a little snack in Brindisi, one of the most important cities in the region, and keep going south. Follow  directions that will bring you to Lecce. We are in Salento, where you will enjoy some outstanding towns and cities: like Gallipoli, Otranto and Lecce. To keep the energy up, you can start this little tour in Salento, eating a ”Frisella”,  a crunchy bread obtained from a dough of durum wheat semolina. It’s one the oldest and most popular food of this region. It’s kind of a biscuit, usually frisella is eaten  soaked in water with fresh tomato. You can add some oregano. Some drops of extra virgin olive oil are a must .

SALENTO: GO TO LECCE, DANCE AND EAT “TIELLA”

Once you are in Lecce, after you visit Piazza del Duomo, take a break surrounded by all the baroque buildings and find the perfect spot to enjoy “Tiella” or Tajeddha, as they love to call it there. It’s a main dish. The ingredients are: rice, potatoes and seafood mussels, baked in the oven. Its roots are probably from Spain, because the recipe is really similar to the famous Paella.  Tiella is still very loved by local people and tourists. After the main course, for dessert don’t miss “Pasticiotto,” made of shortcrust pastry, with custard inside and baked in the oven. Just a little tip about Salento: if you are planning to go in the summertime, make sure to participate in one of the most funny and popular festivals: la notte della Taranta. Taranta is the main traditional dance in Puglia.