On this publish, I’m going to concentrate on my favourite factor about Puglia. Whereas this southern Italian area has no scarcity of incredible places to visit and things to see, for me, the meals in Puglia is the true 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 nicely with the area’s scrumptious wine.
I just lately hung out in Puglia and ate extremely nicely on daily basis that I used to be there. Listed here 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 Attempt in Puglia
No matter your dietary necessities or preferences, you’re certain to seek out meals in Puglia that you just’ll love. From recent pasta and seafood to baked treats and (after all) gelato, you received’t go hungry right here.
I eat every part, though for numerous causes I do attempt to scale back the quantity of meat that I devour. 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 may wholeheartedly advocate all of them – desirous about them makes my mouth water!
1. Orecchiette (Most Well-known Puglia Meals to Attempt)
This scrumptious and conventional pasta is among 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 identify (“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 old town (Bari Vecchia), you’ll be able to watch ladies making orecchiette by hand on wood tables – it’s one of the vital iconic things to see in the city.
Orecchiette is often served with a easy sauce and greens, although there are various variations. My private favourite is “broccoli rabe“, a sauce created from a bitter leafy inexperienced vegetable a bit like spinach, and loads of garlic.
You will discover orecchiette on the menu of most eating places in Puglia. The very best I’ve ever tasted was at a tiny place known as Assaporando le Delizie Pugliesi in Bari Vecchia.
Assaporando le Delizie Pugliesi Info
Tackle: Vico San Cristoforo, 1, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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.business.site
2. Focaccia Barese
This conventional Puglian bread initially comes from the town of Bari and is often 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 skin, 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.
In case you’re planning to spend time in Bari (and you need to), choose 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 should you’re touring on a funds.
Magda Info
Tackle: Via Prospero Petroni, 32A, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 elements creates a hearty soup that’s filled with taste and vitamin.
Fave e cicoria is often served as a starter however may also be loved by itself. It’s certainly one of my favourite dishes in Puglia and I really like how comforting it’s – excellent for cooler winter evenings, however actually scrumptious any time of 12 months.
An incredible place to do this dish in Monopoli is the upmarket Angolocinque Restaurant, subsequent to the Largo Fontanelle park.
Angolocinque Restaurant Info
Tackle: Via G. Barnaba, 7, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 created from stale bread, ricotta, garlic, parsley, and grated parmesan, and are deep-fried till they’re golden brown.
Polpette di ricotta is often 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 varieties, together with ones containing meat, greens, and/or fish. Generally they’re served by themselves, or different instances 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 known as Per Bacco in Bari.
Per Bacco Info
Tackle: Via Francesco Saverio Abbrescia, 99, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 usually made with flour, white wine, olive oil, and salt. They’re crunchy rings of dough which have been boiled earlier than baking – this provides them an additional particular texture which makes them actually addictive!
My favourite sort additionally incorporates 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. At any time when I’m in southern Italy, I eat so many of those, (I believe I might need a slight drawback).
You should buy baggage of taralli in nearly each store and grocery store in Puglia for a few euros, and plenty of bars and eating places will serve them as a snack to get pleasure from with an aperitivo. Taralli Mitica is my favourite model – should you see these wherever, purchase them!
6. Burrata
No journey to Puglia could be full with out making an attempt burrata, a sort of cheese made with mozzarella and cream. It’s one of the vital standard meals within the area and also you’ll discover it on many restaurant menus.
Burrata is creamy and scrumptious – excellent 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 sorts and, truthfully, they’re equally as tasty!
You will discover burrata on most menus in Puglia. Most just lately, I had it at Cime Di Tapas in Monopoli and it was excellent.
Cime Di Tapas Info
Tackle: Corso Umberto I, 8-10, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Cellphone: +39 080 645 6624
Working Hours: 12 pm–2 am, Thu-Tue (closed Wednesdays)
Common Price of Dish: €5
Web site: facebook.com/cimeditapas
7. Tiella
Probably the most conventional dishes in Puglia, tiella is a layered combination of rice, potatoes, and mussels. It’s often cooked in a terracotta pan over an open fireplace which supplies it an unbelievable, subtly smoky taste.
Even should you don’t like mussels, you’ll be able to nonetheless get pleasure from different forms of this wonderful dish. A preferred vegetarian selection is made with eggplant and zucchini.
The mixture of elements in tiella makes it a hearty meal that’s excellent 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 Info
Tackle: Via Salvatore Cognetti, 13, 70121 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 choice of seafood and/or greens, that are calmly coated in flour and fried. Consider it as a bit like Puglian tempura.
Fritto misto is often simply served with lemon juice and salt, though some locations supply different sauces on the aspect too. It’s one of the vital standard dishes in Puglia and may be discovered on many restaurant menus, in addition to from meals vehicles and outside stands in most main cities.
As an inexpensive and fast meal on the go, fritto misto is tough to beat. A tiny meals truck in Monopoli known as Mare Chef serves the most effective fritto misto I’ve ever tasted. In case you’re on the town, you need to positively do this place.
Mare Chef Info
Tackle: Via Procaccia, 1, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 may get gelato all over the place in Italy, however the gelato in Puglia is among the perfect. It’s creamy, easy, and extremely wealthy.
Scrumptious at any time of day (or evening), a scoop or two of high-quality gelato is among the greatest issues to get pleasure from after a typical meal in Puglia.
A few of the tastiest gelato I discovered in Puglia was at Gasperini, in Monopoli. Attempt their pistachio crunch and their chocolate orange fondant. Though it’s technically not gelato, their darkish chocolate sorbet can be unreal.
In case you’re in Bari, Antica Gelateria Gentile, subsequent to the Castello Svevo, is equally wonderful.
Gasperini Info
Tackle: Largo Plebiscito, 9, 70043 Monopoli BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 often served as a dessert and are historically eaten through the festive winter interval, though you’ll find them in bakeries all year long.
They’re created 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 actually divine. They make the right ending to a typical meal in Puglia.
An incredible place to choose up some genuine cartellate is Pino Ladisa Pasticcere Cioccolatiere – a incredible little pastry store in Bari, simply south of the town middle.
Pino Ladisa Pasticcere Cioccolatiere Info
Tackle: Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, 199, 70124 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 basically Puglian donuts, and so they’re an actual deal with! They’re small balls of dough which have been deep-fried and are often served with numerous sauces or sprinkled with sugar.
You will get candy pettole and savory pettole, and a few are even savory-sweet. Any method you’ve them, they’re extremely moreish – it’s nearly unattainable to only eat one!
The savory ones are usually served as appetizers (typically full of 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 in addition function on many restaurant menus in numerous varieties. In Bari, they’re recognized domestically as popizze however are in any other case the identical.
Among the best locations to attempt them in Bari is Atena Focacce, which is positioned just a few doorways down from Magda, so you can even choose up some unbelievable focaccia Barese on the similar time.
Atena Focacce Info
Tackle: Via Scipione Crisanzio, 8/A, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 basically an eggplant full of a meat combination (although you can even 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 actually mouthwatering.
Melanzane ripiene is often served as a foremost 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 prefer to recreate it at house on occasion too.
If you end up in Ostuni, I like to recommend making an attempt this incredible Puglian specialty at Osteria Monacelle.
Osteria Monacelle Info
Tackle: Via Cattedrale, Via P. Vincenti, 72017 Ostuni, Italy
Cellphone: +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 often deep-fried and served heat, in order that they make the right fast lunch or snack on the go.
There are every kind of fillings accessible, from cheese and tomato to spinach and ricotta, however my favourite needs to be the standard model with mozzarella and tomato.
You received’t battle to seek out these tasty treats throughout Puglia, so you’ll want to give them a attempt while you’re there. In Bari’s Outdated City, Bakery Santa Rita serves notably good ones.
Bakery Santa Rita Info
Tackle: Str. dei Dottula, 8, 70122 Bari BA, Italy
Cellphone: +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
In case you’re a cheese lover, then you definately’ll positively wish to attempt caciocavallo. This Puglian exhausting cheese is created 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. In case you occur to seek out your self in Martina Franca, try Caseificio Pioggia – a very incredible cheese store.
Caseificio Pioggia Info
Tackle: Via Gaetano Grassi, 26, 74015 Martina Franca TA, Italy
Cellphone: +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 crammed with custard. It’s often 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 Info
Tackle: Via Fran. Tanz. Vitale, 72017 Ostuni BR, Italy
Cellphone: +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
Greatest Meals Excursions in Puglia
Among the best methods to expertise as a lot of Puglia’s iconic dishes as attainable is to affix a meals tour. There are a lot of to select from, however listed here are among the most extremely reviewed:
Bari Strolling Avenue Meals Tour
This three-hour walking tour is the right solution to familiarize your self with the Puglian capital and a few of its tastiest delicacies.
Alberobello: Strolling Meals Tour
This walking food tour takes place within the distinctive UNESCO World Heritage Web site of Alberobello. Your information will train you in regards to the well-known trulli homes that the town is thought for and provide the alternative to style a spread of native cheeses, meats, and wines.
Bike Tour & Pasta Making Expertise
Discover Bari by bike and learn to make your individual orecchiette by hand the standard method on this fun 2-hour tour.
Bari Avenue Meals Tour on Segway
This Segway tour of Bari focuses on the most well-liked kinds of avenue meals in Puglia and can take you to discover among the metropolis’s prettiest corners and hidden gems.
Bari Rickshaw Avenue Meals Tour
In case you, like me, can’t fairly get the grasp of using a Segway, chances are you’ll desire this rickshaw street food tour as an alternative.
Puglia Meals: FAQs
Listed here 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 sometimes begins round 8 pm, though it could begin earlier or later relying on the actual restaurant you’re visiting. If you wish to eat in a preferred restaurant for dinner, it’s greatest to make a reservation forward of time as many locations replenish rapidly.
Lunch in Puglia often begins at 12 pm and goes on till 2-3 pm.
There isn’t actually a set time for breakfast in Puglia and plenty 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 choice of glorious eating places and cafes serving up every kind of regional dishes. Lecce and Monopoli are additionally recognized for his or her excellent seafood.
A small tip is all the time appreciated, though not strictly mandatory. In case you obtain glorious service in a restaurant, a ten% tip can be nicely acquired.
Pasta is a staple meals of Puglia, particularly orecchiette. Bread resembling focaccia Barese can be standard. As you’d count on, seafood is especially widespread on the coast.
In Conclusion
With a lot number of meals on supply, it may be exhausting to resolve what to eat in Puglia first. Wherever you go and no matter dishes you attempt, it’s certain to be an unforgettable expertise.
I really like the straightforward, 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 may eat these each week, I completely would!
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