to taste

taste the genuine food specialities of Puglia!

Of course, almost every region in Italy is famous for its cuisine, but even in a country known for its fabulous food, Puglia stands out. Year-round sunshine and warm temperatures create the perfect conditions for growing vegetables, so expect fresh zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, and peppers to feature heavily in most dishes. Puglia also boasts its own traditional varieties of pasta, which are made with just flour and water since eggs were considered a luxury in this historically poor region. Orecchiette (‘little ears’) is the best known, but look out for troccoli, cavatelli, curti, gruessi and more, all of which are traditionally topped with local fare such as rapini (a type of broccoli), mussels, ricotta, white beans, wild fennel, and zucchini flowers. Cheese is a particular specialty here – don’t miss the fantastic, fresh burrata di Andria, which is usually drizzled with fragrant olive oil, or pampanella, which derives some of its flavor from the fig leaves in which it is wrapped. For dessert, try pasticciotto, a traditional pastry from Lecce, alongside a caffe leccese – a shot of espresso served on ice and mixed with sweet almond milk.