Cuisine

At heart, what this sloping rural landscape is really about is food, gloriously delicious, just-out-of-the-fields-and-sea food, and the people who produce it.

The emphasis of the cuisine in Puglia is in its simplicity, fresh and tasty, with an abundance of fresh vegetables, cheese, fish and olive oil there is a definate Mediterranean flavour.

If you could fly over the countryside of Puglia you would be amazed at the fertility and richness of this area. It is literally an immense farm, producing vast quantities of grain, tomatoes, grapes, artichokes, lettuce, fennel, peppers, onions and olive oil. Add to this a sea full of fish, grazing fields of cattle and sheep, and as a result you have an extremely simple cuisine. It is not necessary to complicate things; just combining the superb ingredients the dishes create themselves.

Tomatoes, fennel, peppers, lettuces, wild chicory and onions grow well here and are eaten raw at the beginning of a meal or served at the end of a meal with fruit. Between courses, pasta takes centre stage. Puglia is proud of its homemade pasta, often formed of unusual shapes like the "orecchiette" (little ears). The types and shapes of pasta, made from Italy's best durum wheat, are more numerous here than in any other area of Italy. The most popular styles are maccheroni, spaghetti, cavatelli, tiny gnocchi, and the region's most famous creation, orecchiette. Pasta sauces typically contain tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, chickpeas, fava beans, and a type of broccoli called cime di rape.

The dominant meat in Puglia is lamb, served on a spit, roasted, stewed, or even fried. Due to the popularity of lamb and the enormous flocks, cheese made from sheep’s milk is very popular including fresh ricotta, pecorino, and "burrata di Andria," which must be consumed within 24 hours to be properly appreciated. Cheese is the area’s pride and joy; caciocavallo, scamorza, ricotta, cacioricotta, burrata and buffalo mozzarella - all superbly mouth-watering!

Since three quarters of the area of Puglia is surrounded by the sea its products are abundant and popular. The sea’s harvest of mullet, sea bass and eels is excellent served with a light sprinkling of olive oil. Oysters, mussels, clams, cuttlefish, and octopus are cooked in simple ways and sometimes are eaten raw in the markets.

Puglia is also reputed for its fabulous deep green olive oil, which competes with Tuscany and Liguria in quality. But grapes are probably the region's most important crop, as Puglia produces more grapes, both for eating and wine-making, than any other region in Italy.

Home-grown yellow and white melons, sweet watermelons and grapes often finish a meal in Puglia.