Apulian Pastarelle: the recipe for dairy biscuits

Apulian pastarelle are typical “soaked” milk (or tea) biscuits that are prepared in different ways throughout Puglia. The Apulian bakeries churn out pasta of all kinds every day to meet the different needs of their customers but they can also be prepared at home because few ingredients and little manual skills are needed. In this way you will obtain more genuine breakfast biscuits compared to the commercial ones found in supermarkets. For this reason they are often present during breakfasts or snacks for adults and children.

Pastarelle from Puglia: the recipe

To prepare Apulian pastarella you need a few simple ingredients to bring a tasty and fragrant, authentic and traditional product to the table.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of flour
• 300 g of sugar
• 150 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 400 ml of milk
• 6 eggs
• grated peel of one lemon
• 1 sachet of ammonia for desserts

Method:

1. Heat the milk and, once lukewarm, dissolve the ammonia in it.
2. Add all the ingredients (even the milk with ammonia) into a large bowl and mix with a whisk to eliminate any lumps.
3. Cover the baking tray with baking paper and, with the help of a spoon, roll out the dough, spacing the pastries a few centimetres.
4. Before baking, brush a little beaten egg and sugar on the biscuits.
5. Bake in a preheated ventilated oven at 250° for 10 minutes and then in a static oven for 5 minutes.

The pastries thus obtained can be stored for a few days in an airtight container or in a dry place.

Pastarelle Salento: the recipe

Then there is the recipe for Salento pastarelle, traditional milk or tea biscuits, very fragrant and scented.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of flour
• 300 g of sugar
• 4 eggs
• 300 ml of milk
• 160 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 20 g of ammonia for desserts
• 2 sachets of vanillin
• grated peel of one lemon

Method:

1. On a pastry board, create a well with the flour, add the eggs, sugar, grated lemon peel, oil, vanillin and ammonia.
2. Mix the mixture and gradually add the milk until the consistency becomes neither too soft nor too hard.
3. Roll out the dough obtained with a rolling pin until it becomes a rectangle with a thickness of about one centimeter.
4. Shape the pastries into small rectangles and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper.
5. Before baking, brush the egg white and sugar onto the biscuits.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 170° for 25 minutes.

Also in this case the pastries can be stored for a few days in an airtight container.

How to prepare Apulian Pastarelle with the Thermomix

Although they can be easily prepared by hand without the use of a food processor, here’s how to prepare Apulian pastarelle with the Thermomix.

Ingredients:

• 650 g of flour
• 180 g of sugar
• 3 eggs
• 80 g of milk
• 180 g of seed oil
• grated peel of one lemon
• 1 sachet of vanillin
• 1 sachet of ammonia for desserts
• a pinch of salt
• icing sugar to taste

Method:

1. Place the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl and mix for 10 seconds at speed 10.
2. Add the eggs and oil and mix on speed 4 for 30 seconds.
3. Add the warm milk, ammonia, vanillin and salt to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 seconds at speed 4.
4. Finally, add the flour and work in “Spiga” mode for 2 minutes.
5. Give the dough a rectangular shape, then form the different pastries and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
6. Sprinkle the icing sugar and bake in a preheated, static oven at 180° for 12 minutes and finally in a fan oven.

In the rediscovery of Apulian food culture, the role of homemade pasta was fundamental. A rustic pasta prepared by mixing traditional durum wheat flour with re-milled semolina flour, with a pale yellow colour. The dough is made only with water, eggs are rarely added as is the tradition of Emilian or Piedmontese pasta for example.

The different forms of Apulian homemade pasta

• The shape of homemade pasta is very varied. The traditional strips of pasta, resembling tagliatelle, can be made in many ways. By rolling out the puff pastry thinly and then cutting it with a knife they are called trie, with which the famous soup with chickpeas is made: “ciceri e trie”.

• Or with a special rolling pin equipped with blades and then they are called troccoli, always shaped like tagliatelle but with an oval section. These are used to accompany meat sauces (veal or, better yet, horse) which fall apart during long cooking.

• Then there is the large family of “strascinate” pastas, that is, strips of pasta whose shape is given with a skilful stroke of the fingers by dragging them on the work surface, such as cavatelli, with an elongated shape or the very famous orecchiette, small disks of pasta that a deft flick of the index finger transforms into the ideal pasta to be accompanied by sauces based on stewed vegetables, such as the famous turnip tops, of disarming simplicity but with an unforgettable taste.

• And then we remember the twisted pappardelle, strips of pasta folded on themselves and intertwined, the sagne ‘ncannulate, also suitable for particularly tasty sauces.

• There is also a large and varied family, that of maccheroni, pasta made with the help of a special iron, cut into strips and worked by sliding it on the wire, until it gives the desired shape, including the unforgettable minchiareddi. Their hollow shape seems to have been created specifically to accommodate tomato sauce.

As for desserts, which are one of the main characteristics of the gastronomic tradition of Salento, there are different types, but the one that most represents lower Puglia is the Lecce pasticciotto.

The basic ingredients of this dessert are very simple: shortcrust pastry, made strictly with lard, banishing butter and margarine, and custard.

Origins of the Lecce pasticciotto

Its origin dates back to at least the eighteenth century, one of the most widespread stories is that which associates the birth of pasticciotto with the Ascalone family’s pastry shop in Galatina during the celebrations for San Paolo, a legend which however has no foundation.

There are those who make everything simpler, saying that this dessert is just one of the many variations of the Abruzzo bocconotto, given the similarity, or there are also those who derive it from the Neapolitan pasticciotto, which involves the addition of black cherries.

Where to eat Lecce pasticciotto

From Lecce downwards, the breakfast ritual includes coffee and pasticciotto. Numerous pastry shops have become famous thanks to this dessert and there are many addresses where you can taste it. However, you must be careful not to come across pre-packaged and defrosted products on occasion, otherwise you run the risk of not only being disappointed but also leaving an unpleasant taste in your mouth. Unfortunately, it often happens that to speed up the process, the same technique as for frozen croissants is adopted. Industrial products are bought that do not have any of the typical characteristics of pasticciotto.

In Lecce you can find the Natale patisserie, in Via Trinchese, but good pasticciotti can also be found at Cadorna in Piazza d’Italia. Best known on a tourist level is the Caffè Alvino in Piazza Sant’Oronzo.

Moving into the province, in Galatina there is the aforementioned Ascalone pastry shop, while in Nardò, before selling the business, the best pasticciotto was found in the Egidio pastry shop. For those who want a more refined version of the dessert, in the Malcandrino restaurant in Monteroni, the chef offers a young reinterpretation of the decomposed pasticciotto.

In Masseria Stali, in Caprarica, where Rita and Leo Piccinno’s cuisine is genuine and proposed as homemade, the pasticciotto Leccese is available in a cake version, which is cut and served in slices to diners.
In Gallipoli we note the Caffetteria Martinucci and in San Cataldo the Pasticceria Nobile.

The original recipe for Pasticciotto Leccese:

Ingredients:

• 500 g. made with flour
• 250 g. of butter
• 200 g. of sugar
• 3 egg yolks

For the cream:

• Half liter of milk
• 3 eggs
• 125 g. of sugar
• 1 sachet of vanillin

Method:

1. To make the shortcrust pastry, combine the butter and flour with your hands. Make a well and place the egg yolks with the sugar in the center, mixing very quickly. Form a ball and wrap it in cling film, keeping it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. For the cream, however, take a bowl and mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla, adding the sifted flour a little at a time. Pour the boiling milk over the mixture and place on the heat, stirring until boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. Form 30 cm discs. with the previously rolled shortcrust pastry, fill the bottom of the mould, pour in the cream and cover with the second disc. Remember to close the edge and bake for 20 minutes at 180°.

Variations of pasticciotto

The pasticciotto from Lecce, despite being very simple, over the years has conquered the primacy of Salento pastry making and has been included in the national list of traditional agri-food products. The best way to taste it is to eat it hot, freshly baked. Naturally, numerous variations were then born from the basic recipe: black cherry jam, chocolate cream can be added to the custard and there is also a version with cocoa shortcrust pastry.

Extravirgin olive oil is a true pride of the Apulian culinary tradition, well known in Italy and in the rest of the world. Puglia is the leading producer of extra virgin olive oil in Italy (it alone manages to produce around 60% of all national production). Four types of Apulian extra virgin olive oil have received the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP): Dauno, Colline di Brindisi, Terra d’Otranto and Terra di Bari.

But the green gold of Puglia has also been awarded many international recognitions and prestigious prizes such as the Silver Medal Award in Los Angeles or first place at the New York International Olive Oil Competition, both awarded in 2016 to the organic oil from Frantoio Raguso in Gravina in Puglia.

History of Apulian extravirgin olive oil

For centuries, all the activities relating to the production of extra virgin olive oil have been handed down from generation to generation to ensure a product of excellent quality. All phases follow precise schemes that lead to obtaining one of the best extra virgin olive oils in Italy.

• In the past, extra virgin olive oil was used not only as a food but also as a beauty product or as fuel for lamps. In Puglia it is probable that olive trees have been present since the Mesolithic, however initially its potential was not well understood. What is certain is that cultivation was introduced by the Greeks while the pressing and cultivation procedures can be attributed to the Romans.

• In subsequent eras, Puglia had already established itself as the largest producer of olive oil, so much so that it was necessary to find a way to best preserve it and protect it from the hands of dangerous foreigners. Thus, from 1200 until the mid-1700s, the old granaries of the Messapian age were replaced by underground oil mills, called underground oil mills.

• The arrival of the Byzantines in the 9th century, in fact, marked a change in trade direction, moving from that of grain to that of oil. The underground oil mills were nothing more than underground structures (dug from two to five meters below street level) which allowed the olives and oil to be processed and preserved in the best possible way since here the temperature remained more stable than outside where however, especially in summer, it could become too high and alter both the fruit and the oil obtained. These mills also responded to the need to make pressing the olives easier given the heat that could be generated here thanks to the lights or the breath of men and animals brought underground. Furthermore, the various processing phases of the trappitari (the workers) could be hidden from the prying eyes of possible enemies. In any case, even if the apogee oil mills are now abandoned, they represent an increasingly popular tourist attraction in Salento.

Many techniques and processing procedures have reached the present day and are still applied to the many olive trees. The olive tree manages to guarantee good production for several years, however it needs a lot of care especially in spring to ensure flowering and in summer to allow the olives to grow larger and the stone to harden. Only with good fertilization and the right amount of water will it be possible to obtain excellent extra virgin olive oil.

The production areas of Apulian extravirgin olive oil

Puglia has been divided into nine extr virgin olive oil production areas based on cultivation parameters. They take into consideration different territories and climatic conditions, the average number of plants per hectare, the varieties of olives, the harvesting methods, squeezing and processing and productivity. The types of Apulian extra virgin olive oil from the areas of Daunia, Terra di Bari, Brindisi and Terra d’Otranto have been awarded the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP).

In each of these areas an oil is produced with different characteristics given by the different olives from which it is obtained. Sweeter and fruitier, more intense or spicier or slightly bitter, typical of oil obtained from green and not yet fully ripe olives. In any case, these are extra virgin olive oils that can meet the different tastes of tasters’ palates.

DAUNIA

In particular, the first production area of Apulian extra virgin olive oil is that of Daunia. The types of olives from this area give the extra virgin olive oil produced a fruity and sweet taste. In particular:

• Daunia-Gargano is an oil produced from the Ogliarola olive with an aromatic scent and suitable for pairing with soups and legumes but also with appetizers.

• the Daunia-Sub Apennine and lower Tavoliere is made from the Coratina olive which gives it a bitter note making it perfect for seasoning bruschetta or salads.

• the Daunia alto Tavoliere is obtained from the Peranzana olive which enriches the oil with a floral scent that goes well with seafood dishes.

LAND OF BARI

The second production area is that of the Terra di Bari where there are three types of extra virgin olive oil.

• Castel del Monte (the area north of Bari), made from the Coratina olive, has a spicy and slightly bitter flavour. It can be used to enrich bruschetta, salads or boiled vegetables.

• Bitonto, produced with Cima di Bitonto and Ogliarola olives which give the oil a hint of almond and a more balanced flavor that lends itself well to accompanying grilled meat or roasts.

• Murgia dei Trulli e delle Grotte (south of Bari), obtained with the Cima di Mola olive, is the sweetest and used on raw dishes.

BRINDISI

The third production area is that of Brindisi province (Carovigno, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino, Ostuni, San Vito dei Normanni, Sammichele Salentino, Villa Castelli and Fasano). Here, Colline extra virgin olive oil is produced, made with different olives. 30% Leccino, Coratina and Frantoio and 70% Ogliarola Barese which, overall, give the oil a sweet flavor making it perfect for seasoning fish or first dishes.

LAND OF OTRANTO

Finally, the Terra d’Otranto is another production area that includes municipalities in the province of Lecce and the province of Taranto. 3 types of extra virgin olive oil are produced here, all fruity and very aromatic, perfect for raw seasoning different foods or dishes.

• Terra d’Otranto (area south of Brindisi) is obtained with Collina di Nardò or Saracena and Ogliarola olives from Lecce or Salento.

• Terra d’Otranto (eastern Taranto area) is always made with Collina di Nardò or Saracena and Ogliarola olives from Lecce or Salento.

• Tarantine (western Taranto area) is produced from Leccino-Frantoio and Coratina olives.

Recipes with Apulian extravirgin olive oil

Even though extravirgin olive oil is often not the main ingredient of a dish, it contributes to giving flavor and delicacy to many dishes. There are some recipes that manage to enhance the flavor of this precious ingredient such as the typical bruschetta. Even the typical Apulian frisella, seasoned only with oregano, salt and extra virgin olive oil, becomes a tasty and satiating appetizer or aperitif.

Moving on to the first courses, the Pancotto, made with stale bread and seasoned with potatoes, turnip greens and tomatoes, all washed down with plenty of oil. Another first course that can be made starring Apulian extra virgin olive oil is spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli pepper.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Apulian extravirgin olive oil is also widely used for sweet preparations as a substitute for butter or seed oil. It can be used to create genuine olive oil cakes or donuts because they are made only with flour, milk, sugar, eggs and oil. This ingredient alone can make the dessert lighter but at the same time tasty without the need to add cocoa, chocolate or cream.

Pittule are a typical dish of Salento gastronomy, handed down by housewives and by our mothers and grandmothers, they are a delicacy that is prepared especially in the autumn and winter period.

Here we present a recipe to better understand the preparation and the ingredients that can be used to best enjoy these typical Salento delicacies.

Pittule or Pettule are traditional Apulian leavened dough fritters and can be prepared in different ways: with lampascioni, turnip greens, mussels, vegetables, with black olives and capers and finally inserted into the dough together with delicious dried tomatoes and then again with shrimp, calamari, cod or cauliflower.

In short, they are a nutritious dish, easy to prepare and suitable for all tastes, even the most particular ones.

The recipe for Salento pittule

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of flour
• a cube of brewer’s yeast
• warm water
• Salt to taste
• olive oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Pour the flour into a large enough container, add the yeast dissolved in the warm water and the salt, work the dough for a long time until it is quite elastic and homogeneous.
2. Leave it to rest under a wool blanket for about three hours.
3. After this time, put the olive oil on the heat, take the dough and knead it again.
4. The frying procedure is as follows: take a little dough and close it in the fist of your hand, with the other hand (always wet) collect the ball that comes out and throw it into the boiling oil.
5. Take them out with the slotted spoon when they are golden brown and place them on absorbent paper.
6. You can use the same dough to make “mixed” pittule. Take a little dough in your hands, wrap it in the pepper (or previously boiled pieces of cauliflower) and dip it in oil. Or you can prepare a mixture of finely chopped onion, cherry tomatoes, chilli pepper, capers, anchovies, salt, add everything to the mixture and fry balls a little larger than those obtained by clenching your fists.

Puccia is a leavened and “seasoned” loaf of bread, now so famous that it has become one of the symbols of Salento gastronomy. Every Apulian bakery, among the many traditional breads, sells pucce; but there are also real puccerie, a sort of very original “regional fast food”, exclusively dedicated to this tasty sandwich (the best ones cook the pucci in a wood oven).
It seems that the etymology of the word puccia derives from the Latin buccellatum, name of the classic round bread (composed of oil, semolina and water), that is, “bread to be transformed into buccelli, small chunks, bites”. Although originally puccia was the poor meal brought to the fields by farmers at work, today it represents one of the most loved and consumed street foods in the region, so much so that it has become the cult food of every tourist on holiday in Salento.

There are truly many versions of puccia: soft, crunchy and seasoned with the most disparate ingredients, from traditional ones to those that meet the most modern tastes, with tomatoes, cured meats and cheeses.
Probably the most famous puccia is the one with black olives – puccia cu’ ‘lle ulie – the “celline di Nardò”, a local variety of small olives that give the mixture a truly particular color and fruity aroma!
Another well-known puccia is the puccia caddhipulina, prepared in the city of Gallipoli on 7 December, the eve of the feast of the Immaculate Conception: to allow women to follow religious rites without the hassle of cooking and to observe fasting as penance in view of the party, the Christmas Eve meal consists of a frugal puccia seasoned with salted anchovies and capers, or with the addition of tuna, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil.
In Taranto, however, there is puccia alla vampa, a puccia of semolina cooked at the very high heat of a wood oven (very close to the flame of the fire), so as to have an immediate swelling of the loaf obtaining a very soft interior: it is stuffed with tomato, extra virgin olive oil, salt and strong ricotta, or with stewed turnips.

We can say that the pucce are worked with soft wheat flour (in some cases mixed with durum wheat semolina), water and a pinch of salt. In many Apulian homes, however, this basic recipe is enriched with extra virgin olive oil or boiled and mashed potatoes.
Here we report a basic recipe to which everyone can add their own variations and seasonings following tradition or their own imagination.

Salento Puccia recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of 0 flour
• 600 ml of warm water
• 25 g of brewer’s yeast
• 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil
• 15g of salt
• 10 g of honey

Preparation:

1. Sift the flour into the bowl of the mixer and add the yeast dissolved in a part of water together with the honey. Turn on the planetary mixer, inserting the leaf and add the extra virgin olive oil and the warm water slowly. Let everything work for a few minutes and when the mixture has become a homogeneous ball, add the salt. Work everything for a couple of minutes, so that the salt is well absorbed.
2. At this point replace the leaf with the hook and continue kneading for about 10-15 minutes, until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough. When the dough is well kneaded, transfer it to a floured work surface and knead it lightly with your hands. Try to give it as spherical a shape as possible and place the dough in an oiled bowl.
3. Cover it with transparent film and let it rise in the oven with the light on for about 2-3 hours. The dough should double in volume.
4. After the leavening time has passed, transfer the dough to the pastry board and work it with your hands until it forms a loaf. Obtain pieces of dough weighing approximately 90 g each. Take each piece of dough and perform a rotary movement to obtain spheres, which you will roll out with a rolling pin. You will need to obtain discs with a diameter of about 20 centimetres.
5. Place each disc obtained on a baking tray covered with baking paper and bake at 250° in a static oven for about 15 minutes. Take your pucce out of the oven and let them cool, then cut them in half and fill them according to your taste.

Tiella of Bari is a typical Apulian dish made with rice, potatoes and mussels. The name refers to the dialect tieèd (or taieddha, or tieddra, or tjedda, or tajedda) that is, the terracotta pan in which the rice was prepared and cooked on the grill (and not in the oven). The dish is more traditionally known as “rice, potatoes and mussels Bari style” and it is possible to taste it in numerous restaurants in Bari and the province but also to replicate it at home quickly and easily, to enjoy this particular and rich traditional dish.

How to prepare Tiella of Bari

In the recipe for rice, potatoes and mussels Bari style, the main ingredients, as the name suggests, are rice, potatoes and mussels but also cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients for 6 people:

• 300 g of rice
• 500 g of mussels in the shell
• 500 g of potatoes
• 300 g of tomatoes
• 50 g of pecorino
• 1 onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• bread crumbs
• parsley
• Salt to taste.
• pepper as needed.
• olive oil to taste

As mentioned, for the success of this recipe it is preferable to have a terracotta container in which to carry out all the preparation phases. Alternatively, an aluminum baking tray will also work.

Method:

1. After having carefully washed the mussels, clean them, taking care to collect their water in a container (because it will be needed later).
2. Peel and cut the potatoes into slices, then proceed with the cherry tomatoes.
3. Chop the garlic, onion and parsley.
4. After cutting these ingredients, you can start preparing the first layer in the terracotta container: sprinkle the tiella with oil and add chopped garlic, onion and parsley, then place a layer of potatoes and tomatoes to be seasoned with salt, pepper and oil and a little more of the chopped herbs.
5. Add the mussels and finally the rice (raw) covering all the mussels.
6. At this point you can move on to the second layer, alternating the potatoes and tomatoes again (seasoned with salt, pepper, oil and other chopped herbs).
7. Finally, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and pecorino.
8. Take the mussel water previously set aside and pour it into one side of the baking dish, filtering it. This water must almost reach the breading but not wet it.
9. Before putting it in the oven, drizzle some oil on the surface, then bake in a preheated fan oven at 180° for about an hour or until you notice that the potatoes are nicely grilled and the rice and mussels are cooked.

If you like a more delicate flavour, you can use parmesan instead of pecorino.

Given the ingredients, it is preferable to consume the rice, potatoes and mussels as soon as they are ready. However, if you want to store it, you can do so for a maximum of one day, placing it in the fridge in a container with a lid. Before eating it, simply heat it up.

Other variations

Although the traditional recipe from Bari involves the use of rice, potatoes and mussels, over time other variations have also become widespread, such as the one with courgettes (also known as “Tiella tarantina”). In practice, together with the first layer of potatoes cut into slices and cherry tomatoes, the courgettes must also be added.

Another version is the one with octopus, another ingredient widely used in Bari cuisine. In this case, however, this replaces mussels entirely.

Among the typical dishes of the Apulian tradition, today we offer you one of the most widespread in the main festivals held throughout the Salento area. We are talking about the scapece of Gallipoli, a true classic protagonist of Salento cuisine, with the scapecieri who get to work to prepare it.

This curious dish has particularly interesting origins, which once again testify to the richness of the history of this area. In Gallipoli, in fact, following the continuous invasion attempts by sea by adversaries located in the Mediterranean, the need arose to have spare food supplies available that could be distributed among people in the event of an attack by foreigners.

Original Scapece of Gallipoli recipe

Ingredients

• 1 kg of small fish locally defined as “Pupiddi”
• breadcrumbs
• vinegar
• saffron
• extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

To solve the conservation problem, we therefore thought of a preparation based on the most locally available raw material, i.e. fish, which after having been cooked through frying, could be enriched with a marinade based on crumbs of bread to which vinegar and also saffron were then added, proceeding with the preparation inside the so-called coves.

Here is how you should proceed to obtain a dish as similar as possible to the original:

1. Clean the fish carefully and then worry about frying them in boiling oil.
2. At this point, you can pass your fish in the breadcrumbs and also leave them to marinate in a solution composed of vinegar in which some saffron has also been dissolved.
3. A popular variant of this preparation involves replacing the saffron with crushed garlic and mint.

The ideal pairing of this dish, on an oenological level, is certainly with Castel del Monte Bianco wine.

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: medium

There are places where parties and opportunities to combine sociality with music, dance and good food alternate throughout the year. Salento is one of these places and precisely because of a strong presence of outdoor parties and opportunities to share in “squares” and public places, the tradition of street food is very strong and present. From religious festivals that become the occasion for concerts and moments of sharing and shows that will leave you breathless, to the food and wine stands that accompany all the events. What will stimulate the palate and tempt the palate will not be the usual burgers and fries, but original and original dishes prepared instantly and ready to be enjoyed while walking through the streets of the most beautiful Italian cities. We are talking about the first entirely Salento format dedicated to quality street food: Salento Street Food.

Scapece Gallipolina

It strikes first for its colors and then for its mouth-watering smell, for its strong and delicious flavour: scapece is an ancient dish, from the times in which battles and invasions in this land of conquest kept the inhabitants closed in the walls and unable to have any food other than long-life food. Small fish dipped in bread, salt and saffron was among them.

In addition to the restaurants and trattorias of Gallipoli and surrounding areas, scapece is served during patronal celebrations and festivals.

Lecce Rustico: the Salento street food par excellence

It is probably the street food that most distinguishes Salento, it is the typical takeaway food from bars but it is also much loved by locals during aperitifs and as a quick snack during short lunch breaks. The rustico is made up of a circular pastry filled and baked in the oven. Here too, two schools of thought, recognizable in two bars in Lecce: on the one hand Natale, probably the most loved by the people of Lecce, offers a filling based on bechamel and tomato, on the other Citiso whose rustico is stuffed with mozzarella, which it is said to actually be the original and traditional preparation.

Spicy olives

They are a must for patronal celebrations and various festivals. Spring is the time when they are most appreciated, together with summer, due to their perfect adaptability to cold beer and fresh drinks. In reality they can also be found, together with lupins, nuts, dried fruit in the “big market” of Lecce which is held every Monday and Friday in Viale dello Stadio!

Fried calzone

It is a crescent of fried dough about 15 centimeters long filled with chopped tomato and mozzarella. The fried calzone is the miniature version of the panzerotto from Bari, so much so that the most vigorous appetites never stop at just one!

Frisa

Immersing it in water for a few moments is almost a ritual, then it is seasoned with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, salt and oregano. The most important symbol of Salento gastronomy consists of a loaf of cooked durum wheat, cut in half and left to toast in the oven.

Fish & chips

On the street or in the most chic restaurants, all you need is a straw paper cone and the Salento version of “fish and chips” is served.

The revisitation of the famous British dish is a novelty that the Slow Food Puglia association has been proposing for some years at gastronomic events. In addition to potatoes, the dish is made up of fried paranza, mainly based on squid, cuttlefish, octopus and fracaja, the name with which the people of Salento indicate small fish that can only be eaten seasonally, due to biological restrictions. In Otranto there are some of the best restaurants where you can taste it.

Puccia

It is a bread with a dough similar to that of pizza, but with shorter leavening times. The puccia is stuffed in the most disparate ways: with cured meats, cheeses, grilled or roasted vegetables (such as peppers), sauces, meat. There are also those who have revisited gyros, a typical Greek dish, using puccia instead of pita and filling it with tzatziki or mayonnaise.

Pettole: Salento street food typical of the Christmas holidays

If in homes they are a typical food of the winter holidays, at village festivals the pettole become suitable for all seasons, crowding the stands from which their inviting scent comes. They have an ancient history and take different names according to the dialect area. The most frequent variations are cauliflower-based, pizzaiola-style or empty, i.e. based only on fried dough.

Pasticciotto leccese

It is the king of Salento desserts, mistakenly called pasticciotto Leccese, but it was not born in the capital, but in Galatina in the historic Ascalone family shop, which still exists. It is said that following a production of cakes with cream, the pastry chef had some shortcrust pastry and cream left over and decided to recover everything in a small way by creating pasticciotto.

The creation of this typical dessert presents different schools of thought: there are pastry chefs who prepare shortcrust pastry with lard, as happens for one of the numerous versions of the Neapolitan pastiera, others who prefer fats that are less intrusive in smell and flavour, such as butter. Someone puts a layer of jam or hazelnut or chocolate cream on the bottom to give stability to the dessert. A few years ago, in the Chèri pastry shop in Campi Salentina, a variant of the classic pasticciotto was born, the Obama, entirely made with chocolate.

Sandwich with pieces of horsemeat

The sandwich with pieces of horsemeat is a must in Salento street food: we encounter it at village festivals, on vans where it is preferred to hamburgers or hot dogs and in small take-away taverns. In a terracotta pot, cook the horse pieces with olive oil, carrot, celery and onion, but not directly on the fire, rather with one side of the pan adjacent to the flame, turning the pieces from time to time, until cooking ends.

Municeddhre

It is not strictly a Salento street food dish because it is also served in restaurants and trattorias, but at festivals and especially during the Municeddhra Festival in Cannole (LE), in summer, it can also be found in a street food version. Municeddhre is the generic name for small, brownish snails, with or without cream, i.e. the layer of film with which the snails hibernate: these are fried and served with their sauce. Also available as street food are cozze piccinne, small white snails that are boiled and served with olive oil and oregano. Finally, there are the murruni, large, brown snails that are prepared as a variant of the French escargot, testifying to how the Normans were here for quite a while.

There is a very special love relationship between Salento and the light. During the day the sun illuminates the wonderful beaches and shines on the sea, or breaks through the windows of the ancient farms, trulli and villas. After sunset the moon’s rays garland the ports or the stands of exquisite local specialties. But there is another light in the night that surprises and enchants summer evenings in Salento: that of the illuminations. These are gigantic structures of colored lights with real musical scenography that arise in the villages on the occasion of the patronal festivals.

Scorrano: “World Capital of Illuminations” in Salento

In Salento there is a town that celebrates its Saint in great style by combining charm and folklore, tradition and innovation through its magnificent illumination installations: Scorrano. 30 km from Lecce, this municipality has become famous throughout the world and has earned the nickname “World Capital of Illuminations”.

On the occasion of the celebrations for Santa Domenica, the “mother” of all patronal celebrations, Scorrano lights up in a blaze of lights. “The Night of Lights” is a one-of-a-kind ritual that takes place every evening at dusk, from 5 to 10 July. The first impression, in fact, is precisely that of being catapulted into a street of Las Vegas, an evocative spectacle for the eyes of thousands of visitors and tourists who every year find themselves looking up at the foot of the incredible light architecture created by local companies.

Origins of the holiday

The festival in honor of Santa Domenica represents the opportunity to demonstrate love for our land and our roots. From here, in fact, these singular artists-craftsmen of light start, who with their creations have conquered the world from Sanremo to Milan, from Japan to the United States. Their installations leave you speechless and captivate above all for their grandeur. The best masters of the art of plasterwork belong to Scorrano.

Hangings’s lights were originally obtained with oil, then they moved on to carbide until the advent of electricity which allowed the creation of wonderful embroideries of light. The origins of the festival are lost in the nights of 1600 when, according to legend, Santa Domenica, godmother and unaware “pioneer” of this “artisan art”, appeared in a dream to an old woman from Scorra and the churches, to free the town from the plague , that a small light was lit in front of each window as a sign of gratitude, as evidence of the villagers’ affection for the saint. The Saint told her that she would protect Scorrano and its inhabitants from the terrible disease. In a few days the country shone like a starry sky.

The Masters of the art of plasterwork

Called to bring “light” to celebrations all over the world, the master paramotors play the challenge of imagination and innovation at home, on increasingly original and precise designs, often imprinted only in the mind, due to the secrecy of the project. The illuminations of Scorrano are true masterpieces of art and technique behind which a careful and complex scenographic and choreographic work is hidden. The systems can reach titanic heights, sometimes reaching 40 meters in height, reproducing large tunnels, towers, castles and cathedrals.

Thousands and thousands of small colored light bulbs, mounted still following ancient artisan methods, on pieces of fir wood with tortuous or geometric shapes, in designs that look like huge colored crochet hooks. Tradition has it that every year, each company chooses a theme for the installations. They range from the timeless “love” to the depictions of dolmens and pyramids, from the myth of Icarus to those inspired by DNA.

The mastery of the Salento painters has reached such high levels that their elaborate works now routinely cross national borders.

Christmas in Scorrano

Scorrano Christmas takes on a universal meaning. It is the feast of Man, of Jesus Christ and at the same time, as per ancient tradition, it is the feast of Light.

Every year, from the beginning of December until the Epiphany, Scorrano offers a fairytale atmosphere to all its visitors.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception officially launches the Christmas program of events. Among tradition, shows, gospel concerts, art, culture, religious rites and lots of fun, there will be the dirges of the pipers, the ice rink (always open until January 6th) and for families with little ones in tow, Santa Claus’ house and the village.

The lights cross various streets of the village of Scorrano: via Umberto I, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Via Lecce, Via Leuca and via Giuseppina Delli Ponti.

An important moment will be the Santa Lucia Fair: on that occasion the pipers, coming from Molise, will parade through the streets of Scorrano.

Patronal celebrations in Salento: the most beautiful illuminations

In Salento, especially in the summer period, there are many patron saint festivals. Each country has its own patron saint who is celebrated with great participation of the faithful and curious. Although each has its own peculiarities, these sacred events have some common characteristics: the procession. This is the moment in which the patron saint is carried on the shoulders through the streets of the town, in long processions in which moments of prayer are frequently interrupted by the songs of the faithful performed by one or more opera bands.

Locations such as Leuca, Santa Cesarea Terme, Otranto offer the possibility of witnessing evocative sea processions. During it, the statue of the protector is positioned on a boat embellished with flowers, followed by a long trail of boats.

As the most famous patronal festivals we mention:

• Feast of Sant’Oronzo, Lecce (24 – 25 – 26 August)

It is the traditional event with which the summer of Lecce ends. The religious celebrations begin in the afternoon of the 24th when the long procession through the streets of the center starts in Piazza Duomo. A rich calendar of events and demonstrations that ends on the 26th in the evening with the nightly fireworks display.

• Feast of Santa Cristina, Gallipoli (23 – 24 – 25 July)

Patron saint of Gallipoli since she freed the city from cholera in 1867, she is the object of great devotion in the three days of celebration dedicated to her. A papier-mâché statue that portrays her tied to a pole and pierced by arrows is placed in the small church overlooking the ancient port of the city. A characteristic moment of the festival is “the ‘cuccagna’, a competition between kids who have to climb along a grease-stained pole that protrudes over the water to retrieve the flag placed at the end of it.

• Feast of Saint Peter and Paul, Galatina (28-29-30 June)

This is a unique event to relive our ancient centre, dance to the rhythm of pizzica, visit the Protector Saints and taste excellent spumoni, mafalde and pasticciotti.

• Feast of San Luigi, Calimera (21 June)

Every year, on the day of the summer solstice and coinciding with the feast of San Luigi, colorful street lamps made with poor materials such as reeds, wire, glue and tissue paper illuminate the streets and courtyards of the historic center in a very suggestive way of this small municipality in Grecìa Salentina.

• Feast of the Holy Martyrs, Otranto (13-14 August)

August 13th is entirely dedicated to the civil commemoration of the Otranto massacre. On August 14th the solemn pontifical ceremony presided over by the Archbishop takes place in the Cathedral. In the afternoon, the procession takes place with the urn containing the relics of the SS. Martyrs carried through the streets of the city.