On this submit, I’m going to deal with my favourite factor about Puglia. Whereas this southern Italian area has no scarcity of unbelievable locations to go to and issues to see, for me, the meals in Puglia is the actual purpose to go to.
A number of of my favourite dishes are Puglian classics. There’s simply one thing in regards to the simplicity and freshness of typical Puglian meals that I actually love, and it pairs so properly with the area’s scrumptious wine.
I not too long ago hung out in Puglia and ate extremely properly each day that I used to be there. Listed below are 15 of the most effective and hottest meals in Puglia – I like to recommend making an attempt as many of those as you probably can!
15 Meals to Strive in Puglia
No matter your dietary necessities or preferences, you’re certain to seek out meals in Puglia that you simply’ll love. From recent pasta and seafood to baked treats and (in fact) gelato, you gained’t go hungry right here.
I eat all the things, though for numerous causes I do attempt to scale back the quantity of meat that I eat. Fortunately, among the greatest dishes in Puglia are vegetarian, and much more are pescatarian.
I’ve eaten all the following must-try dishes in Puglia, and might wholeheartedly suggest all of them – interested by them makes my mouth water!
1. Orecchiette (Most Well-known Puglia Meals to Strive)
This scrumptious and conventional pasta is without doubt one of the hottest meals in Puglia and might be the area’s most well-known dish. It’s made merely of durum wheat flour and water and is molded by hand into a particular ‘ear’ form which supplies it its title (“orecchio“, the phrase for “ear” in Italian).
The historical past of orecchiette goes again centuries and the dish has been an essential a part of Puglian delicacies for generations. Within the slim alleyways of Bari’s outdated city (Bari Vecchia), you’ll be able to watch girls making orecchiette by hand on wood tables – it’s one of the crucial iconic issues to see within the metropolis.
Orecchiette is normally served with a easy sauce and greens, although there are lots of variations. My private favourite is “broccoli rabe“, a sauce constructed from a bitter leafy inexperienced vegetable a bit like spinach, and loads of garlic.
You’ll find orecchiette on the menu of most eating places in Puglia. The very best I’ve ever tasted was at a tiny place referred to as Assaporando le Delizie Pugliesi in Bari Vecchia.
Assaporando le Delizie Pugliesi Data
Handle: Vico San Cristoforo, 1, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 327 375 0130
Working Hours: 10:30 am–10:30 pm, Tues-Solar (closed Mondays)
Common Price of Dish: €8
Web site: assaporando-le-delizie-pugliesi.enterprise.web site
2. Focaccia Barese
This conventional Puglian bread initially comes from town of Bari and is normally served as an appetizer, paired excellently with native olive oil. It’s product of a easy dough that’s seasoned generously with rosemary and salt, then topped with tomatoes, onions, and olives.
The result’s unbelievable. Good focaccia barese is wealthy but gentle, crispy on the surface, fluffy on the within, and by no means too oily. It’s certainly one of my favourite issues to eat in Puglia and I’m all the time excited each time it arrives on the desk.
If you happen to’re planning to spend time in Bari (and you need to), decide up some freshly baked focaccia from Magda. In addition to being a tremendous bakery, that is additionally among the finest locations to eat in Puglia when you’re touring on a price range.
Magda Data
Handle: Through Prospero Petroni, 32A, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 524 2207
Working Hours: 7am–8:30pm, Mon-Sat; 9am–8:30pm, Solar
Common Price of Dish: €4 for a big one
Web site: panificiomagda.com
3. Fave e Cicoria
This conventional dish from Puglia combines fava beans, chicory, garlic, and olive oil. This easy mixture of components creates a hearty soup that’s stuffed with taste and diet.
Fave e cicoria is normally served as a starter however may also be loved by itself. It’s certainly one of my favourite dishes in Puglia and I like how comforting it’s – good for cooler winter evenings, however really scrumptious any time of 12 months.
A fantastic place to do this dish in Monopoli is the upmarket Angolocinque Restaurant, subsequent to the Largo Fontanelle park.
Angolocinque Restaurant Data
Handle: Through G. Barnaba, 7, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 348 374 2987
Working Hours: 7:30 pm–11:30 pm, Mon; 12 pm–3 pm & 7:30 pm–11:30 pm, Tues-Solar
Common Price of Dish: €10
Web site: N/A
4. Polpette di Ricotta
These scrumptious cheese and herb balls are typical Puglian snacks. They’re constructed from stale bread, ricotta, garlic, parsley, and grated parmesan, and are deep-fried till they’re golden brown.
Polpette di ricotta is normally served as an antipasto or starter however may also be loved by itself. Good ones aren’t too heavy however are extremely flavorful.
In addition to the ricotta selection, polpette is available in numerous different kinds, together with ones containing meat, greens, and/or fish. Generally they’re served by themselves, or different occasions in a wealthy sauce, the place they tackle the consistency of dumplings.
Polpette may be discovered on menus all through Puglia. The very best ones I tasted had been at a spot referred to as Per Bacco in Bari.
Per Bacco Data
Handle: Through Francesco Saverio Abbrescia, 99, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 558 8563
Working Hours: 1 pm–2:30 pm & 8 pm–11:30 pm, Mon-Fri; 8 pm–11:30 pm, Sat; closed Sundays
Common Price of Dish: €9
Web site: N/A
5. Taralli
Taralli is available in many shapes, sizes, and flavors, however the conventional selection from Puglia is often made with flour, white wine, olive oil, and salt. They’re crunchy rings of dough which were boiled earlier than baking – this offers them an additional particular texture which makes them actually addictive!
My favourite sort additionally comprises both chili or fennel seeds. They pair completely with wine or an ice-cold beer.
Taralli is a good snack to get pleasure from when you’re out exploring or throughout a picnic lunch. Every time I’m in southern Italy, I eat so many of those, (I feel I may need a slight downside).
You should buy baggage of taralli in nearly each store and grocery store in Puglia for a few euros, and lots of bars and eating places will serve them as a snack to get pleasure from with an aperitivo. Taralli Mitica is my favourite model – when you see these anyplace, purchase them!
6. Burrata
No journey to Puglia can be full with out making an attempt burrata, a kind of cheese made with mozzarella and cream. It’s one of the crucial common meals within the area and also you’ll discover it on many restaurant menus.
Burrata is creamy and scrumptious – good for spreading onto salty focaccia or pairing with tomatoes and basil as an appetizer. Historically it was made utilizing buffalo milk, however cows’ milk is used extra typically now. I’ve tasted each varieties and, truthfully, they’re equally as tasty!
You’ll find burrata on most menus in Puglia. Most not too long ago, I had it at Cime Di Tapas in Monopoli and it was excellent.
Cime Di Tapas Data
Handle: Corso Umberto I, 8-10, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 645 6624
Working Hours: 12 pm–2 am, Thu-Tue (closed Wednesdays)
Common Price of Dish: €5
Web site: fb.com/cimeditapas
7. Tiella
One of the crucial conventional dishes in Puglia, tiella is a layered combination of rice, potatoes, and mussels. It’s normally cooked in a terracotta pan over an open hearth which supplies it an unbelievable, subtly smoky taste.
Even when you don’t like mussels, you’ll be able to nonetheless get pleasure from different sorts of this superb dish. A well-liked vegetarian selection is made with eggplant and zucchini.
The mix of components in tiella makes it a hearty meal that’s good for any event. It’s typically served with some crusty bread and accompanied by a glass of white wine.
Ristorante Tiella is a good place to get pleasure from this iconic dish in Bari.
Ristorante Tiella Data
Handle: Through Salvatore Cognetti, 13, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 523 6960
Working Hours: 12:30 pm–3 pm & 7:30 pm–12 am, Tues-Fri; 12:30 pm–3:30 pm & 7:30 pm–12 am, Sat-Solar; closed Mondays
Common Price of Dish: €8
Web site: tiellapulia.it
8. Fritto Misto
This scrumptious dish combines a collection of seafood and/or greens, that are calmly coated in flour and fried. Consider it as a bit like Puglian tempura.
Fritto misto is normally simply served with lemon juice and salt, though some locations provide different sauces on the aspect too. It’s one of the crucial common dishes in Puglia and may be discovered on many restaurant menus, in addition to from meals vans and out of doors stands in most main cities.
As an affordable and fast meal on the go, fritto misto is difficult to beat. A tiny meals truck in Monopoli referred to as Mare Chef serves the most effective fritto misto I’ve ever tasted. If you happen to’re on the town, you need to undoubtedly do that place.
Mare Chef Data
Handle: Through Procaccia, 1, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 380 383 5269
Working Hours: 7 pm–12 am, Mon-Tues & Thurs-Fri; 7 pm–12:30 am, Sat-Solar; closed Wednesdays
Common Price of Dish: €6 for 250 grams; €11 for half-kilogram
Web site: N/A
9. Gelato
I do know you will get gelato in all places in Italy, however the gelato in Puglia is among the perfect. It’s creamy, clean, and extremely wealthy.
Scrumptious at any time of day (or evening), a scoop or two of high-quality gelato is without doubt one of the greatest issues to get pleasure from after a typical meal in Puglia.
Among the tastiest gelato I discovered in Puglia was at Gasperini, in Monopoli. Strive their pistachio crunch and their chocolate orange fondant. Though it’s technically not gelato, their darkish chocolate sorbet can be unreal.
If you happen to’re in Bari, Antica Gelateria Gentile, subsequent to the Castello Svevo, is equally superb.
Gasperini Data
Handle: Largo Plebiscito, 9, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 348 541 3485
Working Hours: 7 am–12 am, Mon-Solar
Common Price of Dish: €3 for two scoops
Web site: gelateriagasperini.it
10. Cartellate
These fried pastries are normally served as a dessert and are historically eaten through the festive winter interval, though you will discover them in bakeries all year long.
They’re constructed from flour, white wine, olive oil, and sugar, and are pressed into shapes like small stars or flowers.
The cartellate are then soaked in heat honey and sprinkled with icing sugar. The sweetness of the pastry mixed with the sticky honey is really divine. They make the proper ending to a typical meal in Puglia.
A fantastic place to choose up some genuine cartellate is Pino Ladisa Pasticcere Cioccolatiere – a unbelievable little pastry store in Bari, simply south of town middle.
Pino Ladisa Pasticcere Cioccolatiere Data
Handle: Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, 199, 70124 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 523 2161
Working Hours: 7 am–9 pm, Tues-Solar (closed Mondays)
Common Price of Dish: €1 every
Web site: pinoladisa.it
11. Pettole
These are primarily Puglian donuts, and so they’re an actual deal with! They’re small balls of dough which were deep-fried and are normally served with numerous sauces or sprinkled with sugar.
You will get candy pettole and savory pettole, and a few are even savory-sweet. Any manner you will have them, they’re extremely moreish – it’s nearly unimaginable to simply eat one!
The savory ones are usually served as appetizers (typically filled with cheese or mushrooms), whereas the candy ones make nice desserts (particularly in the event that they’ve been dipped in honey).
Pettole may also be present in bakeries and avenue meals stalls all through Puglia, and likewise characteristic on many restaurant menus in numerous kinds. In Bari, they’re identified domestically as popizze however are in any other case the identical.
Among the best locations to strive them in Bari is Atena Focacce, which is positioned just a few doorways down from Magda, so you too can decide up some unbelievable focaccia Barese on the similar time.
Atena Focacce Data
Handle: Through Scipione Crisanzio, 8/A, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 348 383 7725
Working Hours: 9:30 am–3 pm, Mon-Fri; 9:30 am–2 pm, Sat; closed Sundays
Common Price of Dish: €1 every
Web site: N/A
12. Melanzane Ripiene
A well-known dish of Puglia, that is primarily an eggplant filled with a meat combination (although you too can get veggie variations), tomatoes, and herbs. The ensuing taste is solely scrumptious – the sweetness of the eggplant combines with the salty flavors of the filling to make one thing really mouthwatering.
Melanzane ripiene is normally served as a important course and is ideal with some crusty bread and a glass or two of crimson wine. It’s certainly one of my favourite dishes from Puglia and I wish to recreate it at house occasionally too.
If you end up in Ostuni, I like to recommend making an attempt this unbelievable Puglian specialty at Osteria Monacelle.
Osteria Monacelle Data
Handle: Through Cattedrale, Through P. Vincenti, 72017 Ostuni, Italy
Telephone: +39 083 133 4212
Working Hours: 12 pm–3 pm & 7 pm–11 pm, Mon-Solar
Common Price of Dish: €15
Web site: osteriamonacelle.com
13. Panzerotti
One other well-known dish in Puglia is panzerotti. These are small parcels of pizza dough with a pocket of filling – a bit like mini calzones. They’re normally deep-fried and served heat, so that they make the proper fast lunch or snack on the go.
There are every kind of fillings obtainable, from cheese and tomato to spinach and ricotta, however my favourite must be the normal model with mozzarella and tomato.
You gained’t wrestle to seek out these tasty treats throughout Puglia, so make sure you give them a strive if you’re there. In Bari’s Outdated City, Bakery Santa Rita serves notably good ones.
Bakery Santa Rita Data
Handle: Str. dei Dottula, 8, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Telephone: +39 346 616 9152
Working Hours: 8:30 am–2 pm & 6:15 pm–9:15 pm, Mon-Sat; closed Sundays
Common Price of Dish: €2-3
Web site: N/A
14. Caciocavallo
If you happen to’re a cheese lover, then you definately’ll undoubtedly wish to strive caciocavallo. This Puglian arduous cheese is constructed from the milk of sheep or cows and has a barely tangy taste.
It’s typically served as an appetizer with some slices of cured meats and olives, however may also be utilized in cooking too.
You’ll discover this in cheese retailers and bigger supermarkets throughout Puglia. If you happen to occur to seek out your self in Martina Franca, take a look at Caseificio Pioggia – a really unbelievable cheese store.
Caseificio Pioggia Data
Handle: Through Gaetano Grassi, 26, 74015 Martina Franca TA, Italy
Telephone: +39 080 480 0550
Working Hours: 8 am–1 pm & 5 pm–8:30 pm, Mon-Sat; 9 am–12 pm, Solar
Common Price of Dish: €8 for 500g
Web site: pioggiastore.it
15. Pasticciotti
Pasticciotti is a conventional Puglian pastry that’s made with a candy crust and stuffed with custard. It’s normally served at room temperature, however may also be heated and served with cream or gelato.
They make an excellent snack or dessert and may be present in just about any bakery or cafe all through the area.
In Ostuni, they’re notably good at Bar Pasticceria da Pasquale.
Bar Pasticceria da Pasquale Data
Handle: Through Fran. Tanz. Vitale, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy
Telephone: +39 083 133 5872
Working Hours: 5 am–1:30 pm, Mon; 5 am–9 pm, Tues-Solar
Common Price of Dish: €1.50
Web site: N/A
Finest Meals Excursions in Puglia
Among the best methods to expertise as a lot of Puglia’s iconic dishes as attainable is to hitch a meals tour. There are various to select from, however listed below are among the most extremely reviewed:
Bari Strolling Road Meals Tour
This three-hour strolling tour is the proper technique to familiarize your self with the Puglian capital and a few of its tastiest delicacies.
Alberobello: Strolling Meals Tour
This strolling meals tour takes place within the distinctive UNESCO World Heritage Website of Alberobello. Your information will train you in regards to the well-known trulli homes that town is understood for and provide the alternative to style a variety of native cheeses, meats, and wines.
Bike Tour & Pasta Making Expertise
Discover Bari by bike and discover ways to make your personal orecchiette by hand the normal manner on this enjoyable 2-hour tour.
Bari Road Meals Tour on Segway
This Segway tour of Bari focuses on the preferred kinds of avenue meals in Puglia and can take you to discover among the metropolis’s prettiest corners and hidden gems.
Bari Rickshaw Road Meals Tour
If you happen to, like me, can’t fairly get the grasp of driving a Segway, it’s possible you’ll choose this rickshaw avenue meals tour as an alternative.
Puglia Meals: FAQs
Listed below are solutions to some commonly-asked questions in regards to the typical meals in Puglia.
Essentially the most conventional native meals in Puglia embody orecchiette pasta, focaccia, taralli, polpette, and tiella.
Dinner in Puglia usually begins round 8 pm, though it could possibly begin earlier or later relying on the actual restaurant you’re visiting. If you wish to eat in a well-liked restaurant for dinner, it’s greatest to make a reservation forward of time as many locations refill shortly.
Lunch in Puglia normally begins at 12 pm and goes on till 2-3 pm.
There isn’t actually a set time for breakfast in Puglia and lots of locals are inclined to skip it altogether. A typical breakfast in Puglia typically consists of a espresso and a easy pastry, everytime you get up and really feel prefer it. Cafes typically open round 8 am.
Bari, the capital of Puglia, has the widest collection of glorious eating places and cafes serving up every kind of regional dishes. Lecce and Monopoli are additionally identified for his or her excellent seafood.
A small tip is all the time appreciated, though not strictly vital. If you happen to obtain glorious service in a restaurant, a ten% tip shall be properly acquired.
Pasta is a staple meals of Puglia, particularly orecchiette. Bread equivalent to focaccia Barese can be common. As you’d count on, seafood is especially frequent on the coast.
In Conclusion
With a lot number of meals on provide, it may be arduous to resolve what to eat in Puglia first. Wherever you go and no matter dishes you strive, it’s certain to be an unforgettable expertise.
I like the easy, home-cooking type of Puglian delicacies, and having fun with it’s all the time a spotlight of my journey. My two favorites are orecchiette with broccoli rabe and focaccia Barese – if I might eat these each week, I completely would!
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