What to eat in Puglia: A little gourmet guide

Indulging in Puglia’s culinary delights is a journey through the region’s rich gastronomic heritage. From the sun-kissed fields to the azure coastline,

Puglia offers a bounty of fresh and flavorful ingredients that form the basis of its distinctive cuisine. With a focus on simplicity and authenticity, Puglian dishes showcase the abundance of locally sourced produce, seafood, olive oil, and aromatic herbs.

Whether you’re savoring hearty pasta dishes, freshly caught seafood, or artisanal cheeses, every bite tells a story of tradition, passion, and the vibrant Mediterranean way of life. Join us as we explore the culinary delights that await in Puglia, Italy.

10 food you must try in Puglia

Focaccia

Known for its distinctive, flavorful taste and soft, airy texture, it is typically made with a simple dough of flour, water, yeast, salt, and extra-virgin olive oil; the dough is allowed to rise until it becomes light and fluffy.

The inclusion of potatoes in the dough is also a unique aspect of this focaccia, adding to its softness and moisture. One of the key features of focaccia pugliese is the topping, which often includes cherry tomatoes, olives, and sometimes rosemary or onions. The dough is generously drizzled with olive oil before baking, which creates a golden, crispy crust.

Focaccia is enjoyed as a snack, an accompaniment to meals, or even as a base for sandwiches. It reflects the region’s rich culinary tradition and showcases the simplicity and quality of local ingredients. Whether enjoyed fresh out of the oven or at room temperature, focaccia pugliese is a beloved staple in Apulian cuisine

Taralli

Among traditional Italian agri-food products, taralli are maybe the best known, and are also often used as a lifesaver. People of Puglia know this well, always keeping a bag at home and, especially for those with small children, in their bags.
There isn’t just one type, and throughout the South of Italy, this humble gastronomic product has given rise to numerous variations and interpretations. The real reason for the success of taralli lies in their adaptability to any meal, from aperitif to pre-lunch snack, to a healthy bite to stave off hunger.

These small, ring-shaped treats are made from simple ingredients:
flour, water, olive oil, and usually a splash of white wine. The dough is typically flavored with a variety of seasonings, such as fennel seeds, black pepper, or even chili flakes, providing a delightful range of tastes to suit different palates.
Once the dough is prepared, it is shaped into small rings and briefly boiled before being baked to achieve their characteristic crunch. This boiling step, similar to the process used for making bagels, gives taralli their unique texture: a crisp outer layer with a slightly softer interior.

In Puglia, taralli are enjoyed as an everyday snack, perfect for pairing with a glass of wine or as part of an antipasto spread. They are also available in different sizes, with the smaller ones known as tarallini and the larger versions referred to as scaldatelli.

In addition to the traditional savory varieties, there are also sweet versions of taralli, made with ingredients like sugar, anise, or lemon zest, which are particularly popular during festive occasions.
Taralli have a long shelf life, making them an excellent option for gifts or souvenirs. Whether bought fresh from a local bakery or in a packaged form, they offer a delicious taste of Puglia’s rich culinary heritage.

Pittule

Pittule are small balls of leavened bread dough, fried in hot oil and served warm. The basic recipe consists of flour, yeast, water, and salt. Easy, right? The “basic” version has the pittule fried plain. However, there are richer, more evolved, and delicious versions (still traditional) that include additions to the dough such as small pieces of cauliflower, turnip tops, anchovies, capers, or even cod.

It seems that the name “pittula”, is the diminutive of “pitta,” the equally well-known potato pie typical of Salento. “Pitta,” in turn, apparently derives from the Greek “pitta” = pitch. From a phonetic standpoint, the etymology seems sound.

However, the same cannot be said from a semantic standpoint, although there might be a reference to the color of the black olives sometimes present in both pitta and pittule. Another more plausible and less forced hypothesis refers to the more generic Greek “pita,” which means bread.

Pittule have no flag and no age: you’ll find them in trattorias as a rustic and abundant appetizer, perhaps paired with potato panzerotti and meatballs, as well as in some sophisticated restaurants or as hors-d’oeuvres at a reception. Elegant and “ignorant” in one move, pittule have that certain something that really pleases everyone.

Orecchiette

Orecchiette are a type of handmade pasta made solely with semolina flour, water, and salt. Their concave shape, achieved using a smooth-bladed knife and hands, resembles small ears, which is where their name comes from. Their smooth interior and a rough surface due to being dragged across a wooden board, makes them perfect for holding onto sauce.

The origin of orecchiette is uncertain. One theory suggests that the Counts of Anjou from Provence enjoyed a particular recipe consisting of fresh pasta made with durum wheat flour and water, shaped like a small disk with a central indentation, but thicker and less refined. This shape was used because it was easier to dry.

Another theory traces the origins of orecchiette to the Norman-Swabian rule over Bari. During this period, the Jewish community inspired the creation of orecchiette from some traditional pastries, particularly the “Orecchie di Aman,” small fried pastries shaped like ears.

There are several types of orecchiette, closely tied to different regions. These include “chiancarelle,” which are smaller; “orecchie del prete,” which are larger; and “strascenete,” which have a more rounded shape.

Orecchiette can be served with a variety of sauces, from ragù (including red and rabbit ragù) to tomato sauce, sometimes with added meatballs. The classic orecchiette with turnip greens is a symbolic dish of Puglia.

Caciocavallo

Caciocavallo Pugliese is one of the oldest stretched-curd cheeses from southern Italy. The name of this flavorful product originates from the term “cacio,” a synonym for cheese, with the forms traditionally hung “a cavallo” (straddling) a beam for aging. Its shape is spherical, resembling a pear. It is made from cow’s milk and is semi-hard in texture.

The production process involves using cow’s milk, to which animal rennet, lactic ferments, and salt are added. After processing, the cheese forms are hung in pairs over a horizontal beam to dry. It has an aromatic, pleasant, and delicate flavor, which is sweet when the cheese is “young” and becomes spicier as it matures. It has a thin, hard rind, yellowish in color, which darkens with aging, while the interior is lighter and softer, with a potential slight eyes.

This versatile cheese can be used to enhance pasta dishes or baked meals, or enjoyed as a delicious appetizer. Puglia Genuina recommends using Caciocavallo as a topping for bruschetta, made with the delightful Pane di Altamura and accompanied by preserves and pickles.

Panzerotti

Panzerotto is the most famous stuffed and fried half-moon pastry in Italy. Born in Puglia, traditionally filled with tomato and mozzarella, it has been revisited in its filling, as well as in the dough and cooking methods. Let’s get to know better the king of Apulian street food, celebrated on July 15th as National Panzerotto Day.

But why is it called panzerotto? Simple: for the “panza,” or the chubby belly shape that this specialty takes on when fried in hot oil.

The birth of panzerotto dates back to the 16th century in Bari. Here, an unknown housewife came up with the idea of using leftover bread dough to make a small pizza. She filled it with tomato and mozzarella, folding it into a half-moon shape and frying it in oil. In the early days of its history, therefore, panzerotto was a poor dish, a way to use up leftovers, an economical alternative to the classic pizza.

Its classic filling consists of tomato sauce and diced mozzarella, which becomes deliciously stringy after cooking, but there are countless variations of fillings.

In Puglia, two rather common alternatives are panzerotto with meat and the one with turnip greens. Turnip greens, known as “friarielli” in Campania, are a popular filling for Neapolitan panzerotti, often paired with sausage, while in Lazio it’s common to enrich the panzerotti with diced ham.

The possible combinations are practically endless, with vegetables, cheeses, fish, perhaps flavored with some spices. Among the most enticing are ricotta and cooked ham or sea bass and saffron. An even richer and more original version is represented by the panzerotto with a double filling, stuffed half with ricotta and salami and the other half with zucchini and scamorza cheese.

Also worth trying are the sweet panzerotti, filled with ricotta, chocolate, or cream and dusted with powdered sugar.

Bombette – Small Bombs

The name “bombette” (small bombs), refers to their small size, ranging from 3 to 5 centimeters, as well as to their filling that creates a true “explosion” of flavor. Bombette are rolls of meat, filled with slices of capocollo, the pork neck, recognized by Slow Food as a gastronomic heritage.

Tradition dictates that they are stuffed with pieces of Apulian canestrato cheese, salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley before being roasted and skewered on the classic thin spit.

The claim to the title of “inventor of bombette” is disputed between Cisternino and Martina Franca, two of the three municipalities in the Valle d’Itria where numerous grills prepare the meat.

While Cisternino is renowned for making bombette its most recognizable symbol, the origins of this recipe trace back to Martina Franca; in fact bombette originated in Martina Franca in 1980 when a woman decided to grill horse steak in a butcher shop. Later, her husband replaced the horse meat with capocollo, a more tender alternative.

Bombette proved to be so delectable that their popularity spread throughout the Valle d’Itria and eventually across all of Puglia.

Cozze Arraganate – Gratin Mussels

The “arraganate” mussels, or gratin mussels, are a specialty of the coastal areas of Puglia, particularly in the areas of Bari and Taranto.

There are several variations of this dish: some involve adding lemon zest and cheese to the filling, while others are simpler and without cheese. Like gratin mussels, the recipe for “arraganate” mussels can be easily customized by adding or substituting ingredients. Here we propose them with a tasty filling made with breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, garlic, parsley, and oregano.

For a typical Apulian menu, serve the “arraganate” mussels as an appetizer before the “tiella”.

Puglian-style onion calzone

The Puglian Onion Calzone is a delicious and simple recipe, perfect as a main dish but also as an appetizer. Typical of the Bari area, contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a savory pie – not a traditional half-moon calzone – that encloses a soft filling of vegetables, flavored with anchovies and pecorino cheese, inside a shell of oil-based pastry.

Also known as onion pizza, it is a traditional Puglian preparation that uses spring onions – or porraie – the bulbs of onions that have not yet matured, also known as scallions. Discover how to prepare this flavorful rustic dish to perfection.

Melanzane Ripiene or Stuffed Eggplants

Stuffed eggplants “alla barese” hold a special place in the culinary tradition of Puglia, particularly in Bari. Handed down through generations, this dish epitomizes the authentic home cooking of the region. The star of the show is the eggplant, which is filled with a delectable and savory stuffing, ensuring each bite is irresistible.

Though their preparation requires time and care, the ultimate result undoubtedly rewards the dedication put into it.

A culinary emblem of Apulian summers, stuffed eggplants epitomize an authentic gastronomic journey rooted in a tradition passed down fervently through generations. They can be served as an appetizer, a tasty main course, or even as a single dish, perfect for sharing the table with friends and family.

Their versatility reflects the Apulian cuisine, which can adapt to diverse culinary needs while maintaining an authentic taste. Stuffed eggplants are an extraordinary dish also because of the variety of versions that exist. Every local cuisine, every family, has its own interpretation of this classic dish.