Courtyard houses in Salento

During your walks through the historic centers of Salento, you may come across houses with a particular architectural shape. The phenomenon of courtyard houses, born in 1500 in Salento, favored, in past times, the social cohesion of families thanks to its structural characteristics.

The courtyard house is common throughout the Mediterranean area also for common reasons related to the climate: part of the work that would otherwise have to be carried out indoors could easily be moved outdoors.

How they were structured

• From an architectural point of view, these homes are composed of a courtyard conceived as a multifunctional space outside the home, as a place of work, storage and warehouse, shelter for working animals, space for socialisation, entertainment and play to which accessed from a portal overlooking the street.

• All the entrances to the individual rooms that make up the building overlook the courtyard. The rooms are hardly connected to each other from the inside.

• As time passed, another room was built in the courtyard: the house of the firstborn. In this way we arrived at multi-family courts.

• With the improvement of the living conditions of the farmers, who went from laborers to small owners, the elementary courtyard house was enriched with a covered driveway, connecting the road and the house, called samportu or sampuertu. The horse and the trailer were stored in this room and the straw and work tools were stored.

• A first important modification to courtyard houses are the so-called shutters, or doors, from here the socializing moment begins to lose importance and the need for privacy begins. Process that will lead to the detachment of the children’s family from that of the parents, thus moving from the extended family to the small family, i.e. the one today.

• The stable, the room where the well is located and the “pile” for the laundry (a tub generally dug into a block of stone) also overlook the courtyard. At the back of the houses, in some cases, there is also a small garden, not paved unlike the courtyard.

The social importance of courtyard houses

The “courtyard houses” were owned by large landowners, who had their laborers use them as homes. It was usually a single family unit who lived in these houses, but often some rooms were given to married children who, in this way, continued to live together with their family of origin. The rooms were quite large, but sparsely furnished.

This type of housing promoted socialization and had a great function of social cohesion. The layout and architectural structure of the house were therefore important for the socialization process, the living cell was such as to favor the coexistence of the family, in this way the father and/or grandparents, in continuous contact with their children and grandchildren, spent the free time talking and telling fairy tales, the so-called cunti and culacchi which kept together and allowed the traditions and aspects of the popular culture of the time to be passed down.

In recent years there has been a recovery of “courtyard houses” by the owner families, who often use them as private homes or as accommodation facilities, in particular B&Bs – renovated with taste and following the styles of Salento architecture. Many examples of “courtyard houses” are found in the towns of Salento Greece, in Salento.

Currently there are 11 municipalities that make it up, all in the province of Lecce: Calimera, Carpignano Salentino, Castrignano dei Greci, Corigliano d’Otranto, Cutrofiano, Martano, Martignano, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia, Zollino.

There are many recipes of the Apulian Christmas tradition but certainly among the tastiest and most appreciated are the “cartellate“, a dessert that has small variations depending on the part of the region in which it is prepared. The Apulian “cartellate“ are a fried and crunchy dessert with a shape similar to rolled ribbons or roses which can be covered with honey or vincotto but are also delicious eaten alone, if you prefer.

Getting together as a family to prepare them all together is a widespread ritual in many homes: an opportunity to meet and pass on to the younger generations, a recipe that never fades and of which there are testimonies since the times of the ancient Greeks and the ancient Romans and which in Bari appeared in an account of Bona Sforza’s wedding banquet in 1517. In the recipe for Apulian cartellate there are few simple ingredients: flour, oil, white wine, to obtain a simple but tasty dessert that will accompany the end of the meal Christmas holidays.

The original recipe for Apulian cappellate

For the recipe for Apulian cartellate you will need:

• 1 kg of flour
• 200 g of olive oil
• 200 g of white wine
• Salt to taste
• 1 liter of peanut oil
• vincotto of wine or figs or honey

Procedure for preparing the Apulian cartellate

1. First, let the olive oil and white wine cool in a saucepan over low heat then, once cooled, add this mixture to a bowl to which add a pinch of salt and the sifted flour.
2. At this point, knead the mixture by hand or with an electric mixer and, if you realize that the dough requires it, add more white wine. The result must be a smooth and homogeneous mixture that you will let rest for about an hour.
3. After this time, use a rolling pin to make the dough thin and cut 2cm wide strips using a serrated wheel.
4. Twist the strips of dough on themselves to obtain the typical crown shape of the folders and leave them to rest overnight.
5. At this point you can proceed with frying in a liter of peanut oil: the carnelians are ready when they have taken on a nice golden colour.
6. For decoration, heat the vincotto in a saucepan for a few minutes, then immerse the folders. For honey, however, it will be sufficient to sprinkle the folders with the help of a spoon. If you like, you can sprinkle a little cinnamon, sugar or chocolate flakes on the surface.

Curiosities about Apulian cartellate

The etymology of the word “cartellate” could refer to the word “carta” (paper) or “incartellare” (i.e. “to wrap up”) or come from the Greek word “kartallos” that is, a pointed-shaped basket.

Cartellate have different names depending on the places where they are prepared: in Bari, for example, they are called “carteddate” or “scartilléte” but also “péttue“, “chelustre” or “sfringioli“. In Gravina in Puglia they are called “chiòsere” while in Salento “cartiddate“. In the province of Foggia, in Lucera they are called “crùstele“, in Torremaggiore “névele“, in San Giovanni Rotondo “carangi“.

How can you resist a crumbly shell of fried leavened dough that contains a delicious filling of tomato and mozzarella? Walking through the streets of Lecce and Gallipoli you can’t help but come across some takeaway window where trousers are put on display, these extraordinary delicacies that can also be enjoyed during a walk or while stopping at a bar table. The Apulian calzone recipe is one of the most replicated in Italy, which is why we want to share the original one with you.

Here is the recipe for the Apulian calzone

Ingredients for approximately 15 calzoni:

• 500 g of “00” flour
• 80 ml of milk
• 150 ml of water
• 25 g of brewer’s yeast
• 10 g of salt
• 10 g of sugar
• 40 g of lard

For the stuffing:

• an egg yolk
• fior di latte mozzarella
• tomato sauce
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• Origan
• sunflower seed oil for frying

Preparation

• To prepare the calzone dough, sift the flour into a well on a pastry board together with the salt; in the meantime, heat the milk and water together slightly: they should be lukewarm.

• Add the sugar and yeast inside and then begin to gradually incorporate the flour, kneading continuously. At this point, add the lard, continuing to work the mixture until it becomes compact. Sprinkle the dough with olive oil and let it rise in a bowl until it has doubled in volume (it will take approximately 3 to 5 hours)

• In the meantime, prepare the filling. Cut the mozzarella into very small cubes and in a bowl mix together the mozzarella and tomato puree; salt and flavor with oregano. Once the dough has risen, take the dough and make approximately 15 balls from it which you will roll out with a rolling pin until each ball reaches a diameter of 13 – 15 cm and a thickness of around 3 mm.

• Now fill the center of each disc with the tomato puree and mozzarella filling that you have previously prepared, seal the edges of the dough with the beaten egg yolk, close it in half, thus forming a crescent and press well on the edges with the fingers, to prevent the calzone from opening during cooking and the filling from coming out.

• Let the calzoni rise for another hour and then fry them in a pan with plenty of boiling oil until they become a nice golden colour. Drain them on absorbent paper and serve them hot! Didn’t your mouth water? Enjoy your meal!

Coffee in Italy is a real art, it represents the perfect break and an opportunity for socializing that we can hardly give up. In addition to the famous Neapolitan coffee, Lecce coffee also has its fame and anyone who visits Salento will almost certainly taste this tasty coffee with almond milk. In fact, in the Lecce coffee recipe, in addition to coffee, almond milk is used, a drink that more and more people, not only those intolerant to lactose, love to enjoy.

Preparation

• We start by preparing the coffee in the moka or espresso machine: the important thing is that it is a good quality blend because everything starts from here.

• Then we move on to ice which is another symbol of this coffee. In a large glass, add a few ice cubes, then the freshly brewed coffee. Finally, add the almond milk (generally two teaspoons are enough so as not to cover the flavor of the coffee too much).

• There is also the “blown” version of Lecce coffee which consists in using the jet of steam from the electric coffee machine to whip the coffee together with the almond milk.

It can be enjoyed alone or accompanied by a dessert such as a pasticciotto leccese.

Curiosities and origins of Lecce coffee

Lecce coffee was born in the mid-20th century by Antonio Quarta, a member of the Quarta family of Salento roasters.

However, this drink also exists in the rest of the world with some variations: there is the “Cà Phê Đá” from Vietnam made with coffee, ice and condensed milk.

In South America, however, there is a typical drink called “Cafè Helado” prepared with coffee, Chantilly cream, cinnamon, vanilla bean seeds, dulce de leche and dried fruit (a slightly more substantial variant of Lecce coffee).

Whatever your version, drinking coffee is certainly an opportunity for conviviality and sociability. Share this recipe with your closest friends and relatives!

Among the various dairy specialties that undoubtedly contribute to making the name of Puglia important and famous in Italy and abroad, we find a true classic of this southern region, namely the Apulian burrata. Although it is also produced in nearby Basilicata, it can be assumed that the best-known burrata is that of Andria. Here, burrata has also obtained the protected geographical indication (IGP), which is accompanied by other variants both from the Murgia and from other areas of Puglia.

Its name might make you think of butter, however, we must not be misled in this sense: the Apulian burrata is obtained from cow’s milk, and is characterized by its decidedly softer consistency and also characterized by a stringy component. It is therefore the soft nature that is recalled through the name of this cheese. Inside the burrata itself we find the equally famous stracciatella, made up of shredded mozzarella and fresh artisanal cream, while the external casing is made up of stretched curd. This cheese is also characterized by its appearance which resembles a bag, considering how there is a knot to enclose all this goodness.

The origins of Apulian burrata

One might think that the origin of this Apulian specialty is to be found in a very distant past: instead, burrata was born in 1956. That year was marked by extraordinary snowfalls in the Murge, and precisely in the area between Andria and Castel del Monte, Lorenzo Bianchino, active at that time at the Piana Padula farm, had a brilliant intuition. With the snowy streets, the latter decided to replicate what was done with manteche, another famous cheese, with burrata, that is, to store the stracciatella inside a sort of bag prepared with mozzarella paste. To prevent milk and its precious derivatives from being irremediably thrown away due to the city’s supply difficulties, Mr. Bianchino invented a new type of cheese, which then became famous in our country and therefore also in the rest of the world.

The preparation

This typical Apulian cheese is produced throughout the year, following artisanal preparation methods, which make it one of the most significant examples of the dairy art of this southern region.

• First, we proceed to raise the temperature of the raw milk up to 35-37 degrees.
• Subsequently, the same milk is left to ferment naturally with ad hoc ferments, or with citric or lactic acid. Fermentation ends when a pH between 6.1 and 6.2 is reached.
• At this point, the preparation proceeds through the coagulation process, through the use of rennet, which must take place in a few minutes.
• At this point, the curd is broken and the product obtained is left to rest so that the whey can drain.
• Then the stretching process takes over, using boiling (sometimes salted) water.
• After processing, the stretched curd must be frayed to be combined with the liquid cream, to prepare the stracciatella, which represents the heart of the burrata.
• A part of the spun paste is then used at this point to create the characteristic “bags”.

To enjoy this Apulian cheese in the best way, you will have to make sure the freshness of your burrata. In fact, it is not easy to find due to transport difficulties. A good pairing is represented by consumption with tomatoes, taking care to serve the burrata with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Another way to savor this Apulian specialty is certainly in delicate bruschetta, or savory pies, pasta dishes and rolls.

The Apulian bombette are small (3-5 centimeters) meat rolls made with slices of capocollo (pork neck) rolled up on themselves, seasoned according to taste, skewered on the classic thin skewer and roasted. They are generally filled with pieces of Apulian canestrato cheese, salt, pepper and sometimes parsley.

The term “bombette” is clear about the explosion of taste that occurs when tasting them. The origins of this preparation, a very important piece of the Apulian food tradition, date back to the 1960s when some local butchers began to offer them as freshly cooked food and to be consumed on site, in a public environment that became almost familiar when, together with the meat of the counter chosen on the spot, the meal was accompanied with good red wine. Since then their fame has made them sought after and loved by everyone. The bombette are generally cooked on the grill or in the classic stoves that some butchers still have. Often served as street food, they are excellent with a good slice of local bread.

The bombette are typical of the butchers and grills (with the traditional cooking method) of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto, cities in which it is easy to consume them freshly roasted, or buy them and then cook them at home. Many associate the geographical origin of this specialty with the territory of the Itria Valley and it is claimed that outside the borders of Puglia, bowler hats are almost unknown.

Variants of the Apulian bowlers

The traditional Apulian bombette are then filled with pecorino or caciocavallo and seasoned with a little parsley. However, there are several variations spread across the territory of Puglia and other neighboring regions, recipes kept by every single butcher who claims his mastery by offering his own “house” bombette. Among the most popular are those without “filling”, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, or those wrapped with slices of bacon; other versions include the addition of cooked ham or minced meat to the cheese filling, up to the spicy ones.

The Ceglie biscuit (in Salento dialect “U Pesquet”) is a typical biscuit from Ceglie Messapica, a city in the province of Brindisi. It is a recipe that is part of the peasant tradition, in fact it is said that during weddings or the most important banquets, these biscuits were prepared to offer to the guests. They are prepared with almonds, local fruits widely used in cooking, and filled with jam: for this very reason, it is possible to find them in the town’s bakeries with grape, cherry, fig or quince jam. But the Cegliese biscuit can also be prepared at home, using simple ingredients to obtain sweets with a delicious taste and aroma. They are perfect for accompanying tea or as a snack but also as a gift to someone you love. These biscuits are so good that they have been awarded the Slow Food Presidium recognition.

How to prepare the Ceglie biscuit

The recipe for the Ceglie biscuit is handed down from generation to generation, a preparation based on genuine ingredients that is very easy to make at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of toasted almonds
• 150 g jam (to taste)
• 500 g of granulated sugar
• 4 whole eggs
• 1 lemon
• 50 g honey
• 10 ml of citrus rosolio (a typical liqueur based on alcohol, water, sugar and citrus fruits such as lemon, bergamot, cedar and mandarin).

Method:

1. Toast the almonds in the oven, then grind them by cutting them into coarse pieces (be careful not to reduce them to flour).
2. Mix the almonds with sugar, honey, grated lemon peel, eggs, gradually adding the citrus fruit rub oil, until you obtain a smooth and non-sticky dough.
3. Spread the dough on the baking paper and, on one edge, spread the jam; then close, folding the strip, leaving the jam in the centre.
4. Using a knife, make irregularly shaped biscuits (like cubes of approximately 4 cm) and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 160-180°.

If you like, once cooked, Ceglie biscuits can be covered with a glaze made of sugar and cocoa, called “Gileppo“. To prepare it you will need:

• 1 liter of water
• 1 kg of sugar
• 100 g of bitter cocoa

In a pan, add the water with the sugar and cook until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool, stirring until the cream becomes white. Melt the icing in a bain-marie, add the cocoa and mix well until it becomes an icing with which to glaze the Ceglie biscuits.

It is difficult to explain the overwhelming love for this extraordinary place, a land made of landscapes, colors and mysteries: Salento which has very ancient, even prehistoric, roots. We start precisely from the 4th millennium BC. with the birth of the Dolmens in the Salento area.

The latter, as well as the Menhirs, appear to be the oldest monuments existing on earth, probably dating back to the Neolithic.

In some the entrance has a door cut into several vertical plates, to prevent access to wild animals. There are several hypotheses regarding the function of the Dolmens. The most accepted is that they are funerary monuments, but according to other theories they performed the function of altars and places of worship.

Where are the Dolmens located in Salento?

Most of the Dolmens found are in Western Europe; specifically in Puglia there are 23.

• These are concentrated in the areas of Bisceglie, Corato, Giovinazzo, Trani, Ruvo di Puglia, Terlizzi and Molfetta, in the Brindisi area (Cisternino and Montalbano) and in the Taranto area.

• In Minervino di Lecce there is the “Li Scusi” dolmen, the first to be found in Puglia (in 1879), it is one of the most particular and representative of Salento and can be recognized in the regional classification due to its size. The name would allude to a hypothetical hiding function. The “Li Scusi dolmen cultural park” has been set up here: a project to enhance the territory which takes the form of a nature trail among dry stone walls, centuries-old olive trees and country paths.

• Giurdignano, defined as the “megalithic garden of Italy”, is a small village known nationally for the highest number of stone monuments. It houses 7 intact dolmens: from the so-called “Orfine” (about 1 meter high) to the “Peschio” (discovered in 1910). From the “Chiancuse” (of which only the roofing slab is visible) to the “Grassi” (two “twin” dolmens, unique in Italy). From the “Gravasce” to the “Stabile” (the latter is thought to be an altar). The Giurdignano Pro Loco organizes exclusive walking routes, even at night, by bicycle or by carriage.

• Also in the city of Melendugno, 2 dolmens were found: the “Placa” (made up of 7 blocks that support an irregular roof) and the “Gurgulante“.

• Finally Salve you will find the “Cosi” dolmen, discovered in 1968 by Giovanni and Paolo Cosi, inside which human remains, terracotta shards and a fragment of obsidian were found. At about 600 meters, there is the Argentina – Graziadei dolmen, which can boast a better state of conservation than the “Cosi”.

By virtue of this analysis, the hypothesis of a small Salento “Stonehenge” now lost forever becomes much more real. A historical and cultural resource that could be an opportunity for cultural development and visibility. In light of this, it is absolutely worth enjoying the evocative journey among the “stones” of prehistory.

The Pajare also called “caseddhi“, but also “pagghiari” or “furni” are particular typical buildings present in Salento and are considered typically rural homes and built with the dry wall technique. Furthermore, they respect the standards of green building because the use of natural materials such as stone does not affect the environment, becoming a true engineering marvel.

Origins

With a rather uncertain and controversial history, the Salento pajare have a decidedly ancient origin, presumably dating back to around the year 1000 AD, although some historians date them between 2000 BC. and the end of the Bronze Age. Whatever their origin, however, the Salento pajare fully identify with the surrounding landscape, adding a pinch of folklore to an area that is already fascinating and evocative in itself.

Used by Salento farmers as a place to rest after an intense day of work or to escape a sudden storm, the pajare often served as real summer homes, ideal for closely monitoring both the livestock and the more delicate crops . In appearance, very similar to trulli, equipped with windows and can also be quite luxurious and large, the pajare are characterized by a small and spartan environment, without windows and without too many frills and frills.

Creation of the Pajare in Salento

These typical truncated cone-shaped buildings are a true architectural jewel, created by interlocking stones of different sizes, found locally and placed together with meticulous compositional work, without the use of cement.

In fact, the architectural technique by which the Salento trulli are built is the derivation of the relief triangle system, just as the dome and the barrel vaults are derived from the round arch.

Only a hammer of a particular shape was used as a tool, having a dual function: on the one hand it was used to settle the stones and on the other to slightly smooth them.

Once the site had been chosen, the farmer or expert builder drew the plan of the shelter directly on the ground.

A gap (“muraja“) was left between the internal and external walls, the width of which varied depending on the size of the shelter (generally a couple of metres); this is filled with smaller stones mixed with the ground. The stones of the same layer, which contrast laterally constituting an almost rigid annular system, even without armor or mortar, supported each other exclusively through contrasts and the force of gravity. The subsequent and overlying rings project slightly inwards thanks to the use of longer stones. At the end, a large slab (“chiànca“) was placed, acting as the key to the entire structure and covering the opening.

Outside they have a staircase, also erected with the dry construction technique, which connected the door with the fragile roof. The latter, called a false dome, reveals the extraordinary skill of the ancient builders: the stones that make up the roof, in fact, are held together by the lateral contrast between them and by the force of gravity.

Modern use of Pajare in Salento

Furthermore, pajare have the ability to keep the environment cool and dry, even during the hottest hours and in the presence of scorching and intense temperatures. Unique in its kind is lu pagghiarune, located in Tuglie, with a truncated cone shape, made up of three steps and has a dovecote on the upper part.

It is very popular in Salento to convert these rural buildings into structures for overnight stays or refreshments, giving tourists the experience of being able to spend moments of relaxation, immersed in greenery and tradition.

Silent witnesses of the first expressions of human feeling, of a past that did not yet know the Messapic civilization, are the Menhirs scattered throughout Salento, whose origin and function remain shrouded in an aura of mystery.

Erected starting from the Neolithic, the Menhir is a type of megalithic monument consisting of a monolithic column, of an almost geometric or irregular shape, mostly left rough, fixed vertically in the ground, also called Pietrafitta, no more than 5 meters high.

The function of the Menhirs in Salento

• This megalithic path is illuminated by legends, as there is still no certain and entirely plausible explanation for their function. It is thought they served as “signposts” of tombs of extraordinary importance.

• Many do not exclude the significance of real monuments dedicated to the dead or to divinities, especially since many still show traces of anthropomorphic sculptures, the so-called “alignments” which could be gathering places or sacred streets.

• Other currents would like the broad faces of the stone, oriented from east to west, illuminated by the sun to be used to mark time and mark the solstices and equinoxes, or identify them as simulacra of the fertility cult of the mother goddess earth.

• What is certain is that in the Middle Ages they were aimed at the “Christianization” of the menhirs, through the affixing of the cross on the facades of the structure. From here they became the shared heritage of Christianity and even today in some villages of Salento, they are chosen as the destination of the Palm Sunday procession to stop and bless the olive twigs.

• Mystery and doubts have always invaded the world of Menhirs in Salento: if it is not clear which people had erected them and for what purposes. It is possible that the places where the Menhirs were built were considered suitable for establishing contact with the otherworldly world and the Gods.

A link between past and present that is preserved by a multifaceted land that brings together culture, nature, folklore and history disseminated by testimonies of different and ancient peoples; an original, inexplicable sacredness that we live with every day.

Where are the Mehnir found in Salento?

Traces of these “elderly” stones in many countries of the world: France, British Isles, North Africa, Germany.

Among the Italian regions, Puglia is certainly the richest in such megaliths. In fact, there are approximately 120 located in the coastal area of Bari, an area north of Taranto and in Salento.

These “sacred stones” are concentrated in the area between Minervino, Giurdignano, Giuggianello, Martano and Otranto.

• In Giurdignano, defined as the “megalithic garden of Italy”, there are more than 15 examples, we highlight: the “Madonna of Constantinople” (3 meters high, in Lecce stone); “Monte Tongolo” (discovered in 1951); the two “Vico Nuovo”; the “Croce della Fausa” (from the name of the adjacent cave); the “San Vincenzo” (one of the tallest); the “Palanzano”; the “Madonna del Rosario” (transformed into a votive column with an octagonal plan); the two “Vicinanze” (so called from the name of a nearby rock farmhouse). Another menhir worthy of note is certainly the “San Paolo” which takes its name from the saint to whom the Byzantine crypt on which it stands is named. One of the lowest (about 2 metres) bears the signs of Christianisation in that hole on the top which, it is thought, housed the cross.

• Moving to Giuggianello, we will find the “Polisano” menhir and the “Quattromacine” (in Lecce stone).

• In Martano there is one of the highest Menhirs in Italy, the “Menhir de Santu Totaru“, which reaches 4.70 meters in height.

• 7km from Otranto, on the Serra di Monte Vergine, stands the menhir of the same name, as is the sanctuary that rises at the top of the hill.