A journey of taste in Puglia’s Salento region
Golden rays, sapphire waves and emerald vegetation - Puglia is a symphony of colors that come together in perfect harmony throughout the region and on the table too.
Each one lends a hand to grow the delicacies this Italian region is known for.
The sun makes the tomatoes rounder and the olives more juicy while the clear-blue waters abound with fish that swam across the Mediterranean. Ashore, the cows and goats feed on grass caressed by the sea breeze and the mountains’ crisp winds.
It’s no wonder then that this destination is a gourmand’s heaven. Sublime wine and fantastic food await anyone who comes here, whether they dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant or chomp down on street food.
A vacation to Puglia will inevitably become a culinary journey, because eating well is such an integral part of the local culture here. And how could it not be when you’re blessed with such fine ingredients? Olive oil, ripe vegetables, fresh fish, tasty cheese, superb grains and fantastic wines are the staples of the Pugliese diet, one that stood the test of time for centuries.
Fresh, seasonal, local - that’s the way it is. We can say that Puglia embraced the farm-to-table approach before it became cool!
We don’t want to sound too cliche but even a meal at home here is really an experience, which is why we totally recommend you book a cooking class for your trip.
It all starts in the garden, where in-season veggies are handpicked and at the market, where the best ingredients are selected from local producers that live and work in Puglia.
Back in the kitchen, it’s definitely a leisurely affair, that brings friends and family together. You even get to work off your meal calories making pasta from scratch, because using a rolling pin definitely requires some muscle! But hey, if you look close enough, you’ll notice the traditional recipes aren’t that different from today’s most trendy healthy dishes.
We believe that a trip to Salento, in Puglia, may very well be a crash course in living well. The laid-back vibe and the magnificent setting complete the picture. That’s why we started our business here and we love welcoming people year after year, we know how life-changing this land can be, even if your visit is short.
Puglia food specialties
Vegetables reign supreme on Puglia’s table. Chicory, dandelion, wild asparagus, wild mustard, poppy plants and wild thistles are joined by turnip greens, chard, peppers, aubergines and, in summer, tomatoes, which are traditionally used to prepare the passata - or salsa - for the winter. Another event that, during the torrid summers in Salento, is able to bring the whole family together. Yes, because tomato puree is a real speciality of Salento: try it and you will immediately understand the difference from those in the supermarkets!
The landscape can change pretty quickly if you drive across Puglia but one thing remains constant, the olive trees. Whether they’re perched on ragged cliffs, reaching for the sun, or ordered in neat lines that extend for miles, the ‘green gold’ they gift us is as precious as actual gold. It’s so ubiquitous in Pugliese cuisine that nonnas don’t even write it down in recipes - it’s a given there’s gonna be olive oil!
Those who are used to supermarket olive oil may not like how the oil from smaller producers will taste like the first time they try it, but you should persevere, trust us! It’s certainly stronger but it’s packed with flavor, so much so that it can be enjoyed on its own on a slice of bread.
An olive mill visit and olive oil tasting are definitely something you might want to add to your to-do list while in Puglia, you’ll learn so much and understand how healthy this good fat can be.
Here At the Aia, we make our own olive oil and are always happy to show our guests the whole process, while strolling through the olive grove surrounding the agriturismo.
Trees bear other fruits too: apricots, plums and figs can all be found in this fertile region, including the bountiful land around At the Aia, where they’re harvested to make delicious jam, so they can be enjoyed all year round.
Here in Salento you can also find excellent cheese, like ricotta forte, a creamy cheese with an intense spicy flavor. It can be added to your pasta sauce (in moderation, one teaspoon per portion is enough) to replace the classic sprinkling of cheese. It is also excellent spread on a slice of bread, with two anchovies on top.
We’re sure you’ll be surprised to hear the next two regional specialties! They’re a common ingredient at many juice bars and healthy cafes from L.A. to Bali, but Salento has its very own variety. We’re referring to the patata zuccarina, a sweet potato with a yellow paste and almond milk, an integral part of the caffè leccese (espresso, ice cubes, almond milk, zero sugar - no need for Starbucks round these parts!).
While you might want to start the day with almond milk (in your coffee or smoothie), we bet that come night time you’re ready for something a little stronger. Enter nespolino and mirto two traditional liquors obtained from medlar fruits and myrtle berries respectively. You can try both At the Aia, we make them every year with the fruits from our trees, following the same recipes passed down from one generation to the next.
Puglia wines
There are almost 110,000 hectares of vineyards in Puglia, most of which are exposed to the salty sea winds.
Here in the Salento peninsula the most common grape varieties are the local Negroamaro and Primitivo, which produce full-bodied wines that are highly tannic and with a firm acidic vein.
Puglia is one of the Italian regions that is currently experiencing, more than any others, a wine-making revolution. In a very short time, Puglia wines rose to top of world’s charts and these enveloping reds, important whites, but also surprising rosés, are conquering more and more palates. For this reason, we always recommend a wine tasting during your holiday to Puglia and are happy to help you find the perfect one for you.
Traditional Puglia recipes
As you travel across Puglia you’ll soon learn that each locale has its own set of traditional dishes.
Here in Salento you’ll often read scapece on the menu. It’s a way to marinate fish, which is fried and then covered in breadcrumbs soaked in vinegar and saffron. This dish with its distinctive yellow color has a long history that goes as far back as the Middle Ages, when the town of Gallipoli was often sieged and the inhabitants had to find a way to keep the fish from going bad.
Also popular are the friseddhre, sandwiches, generally of durum wheat or barley, which are baked twice. After the first baking, the frisa is cut in two parts with a string and then baked again.
This procedure guarantees that this crunchy sandwich has a very hard consistency: before being eaten, the frise must be sponzate (i.e. soaked) for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, rocket, capers, tuna, and vegetables on top for a filling Summer meal.
Pasta, of course, takes center-stage at any meal here in Italy and Puglia is no different. What makes this region different, however, is the abundance of egg-free pasta, which will delight vegans (like many other Pugliese recipes). Ciceri e tria, for example, is a dish where the pasta is partly fried and partly boiled then combined with chickpeas cooked with extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion and herbs.
Lampascioni, are instead small bitterish onions that are slowly cooked in a sauce with various kinds of aromas. Very hard to find elsewhere!
If you’ve got a sweet tooth you might want to secure yourself a jar of cotognata, a quince apple jam that’s quite firm, which you can bring home with you.
Same goes for mustazzoli biscuits, made with honey, dried fruit, cloves and cinnamon, ingredients that leave no doubt about their Arab origins. The dough, not leavened, is then covered with cocoa-based icing.
Other sweet treats you’ll have to try while on holiday, because they don’t travel as well, like carteddhate and purcedduzzi, which are fried. And of the course, the now famous pasticciotto, pastry filled with custard.
Shall we save you a seat at our table? Book a room today and join us in Puglia.