BAKERY PRODUCTS OF PUGLIA

Puglia, a land full of good and ancient flavors, boasts a tradition deeply rooted in the preparation of baked goods, such as sweet and salty taralli, boiled, sweet desserts with creams and jams, but the strength of bakery products is the PANE, famous is the bread of Altamura, envied throughout Italy and beyond.

From the Mediterranean tradition, the Pugliese Taralli, crunchy and friable, are widespread throughout Italy and known all over the world, the taralli are pasta rings made exclusively using the genuine quality ingredients, more characteristic of the agricultural landscape of our land of Puglia : soft wheat flour, good white wine, fennel seeds, salt to above all extra virgin olive oil which makes them so fragrant and at the same time crisp. They replace the bread during the meal and are ideal for a break, in the simple variant (extra virgin olive oil) or flavored with different spices depending on the different tastes: fennel, sesame, pizzaiola, chili, with rosemary, onion, Mediterranean, pepper, depending on whether you prefer a natural fragrance or if you love a more intense flavor.

The recipe of taralli was born in Puglia for over a century, then with the passing of time, around them were born new gastronomy, preparations that have formed other delights, such as: Tarallo with almonds, bruschetta, sweet Taralli, Biscuits from snacks, milk biscuits, chocolate biscuits, amaretti biscuits, wholemeal biscuits, real pasta sweets, pastarelle, mostacciuoli, focaccia and friselle, typical of our best culinary tradition, are presented with a circular shape smooth on one side, rough on the other light or dark brown (depending on the type of grain used in their preparation).

PUGLIA: A “SEA” OF FLAVORS

The main factor that gives the Puglian marinara gastronomy a unified address is the availability in each province of the same foods. Everywhere, in the coastal towns of both the Adriatic and the Ionian, fish is excellent; however, there are areas where some species reveal superlative flavors.

On the whole coast of Puglia the fish is very abundant, of great quality and freshness.

The sea of ​​Bari offers magnificent octopus (or octopus, according to the southern diction) that you can also eat raw, which usually, just caught, slam on rocks and then shake with a rhythmic verse in a basket to curl them (it’s a show to see them prepare, as soon as the fishermen’s boats return, on the very animated seafront …); remember the wonderful sea bream and amberjack, also fabulous dentex and scampi.

Moving a little along the coast of Puglia, the mullets of Porto Cesàreo, Gallipoli, Pogliano a Mare, Manfredonia are an authentic triumph for the gorge. Even the waters of the Tremiti Islands are populated by extraordinary fish varieties, noble and plebeian, thanks to which the kitchen knows flavors that involve the five senses.

In addition to the famous mussels of Taranto, which are often cooked “arracanate” (ie covered with bread crumbs and parsley, with garlic, oil and oregano and tomato) and which are famous all over the world, so much so that they are also served in the best restaurants Tokyo and New York, the two inlets of the port of Taranto, called Mar Piccolo and Mar Grande, offer bream, eel, dentex, mullet, squid, cuttlefish, lobster, clams, dates of the sea, shrimp; in fact, however, the fame of the waters of this province is linked to the precious and renowned mussels: black mussels (or peoci) and oysters. The cultivation of oysters is practiced in Taranto since remote times; the systems are still ancient ones. The man follows the action of nature by fixing the larvae of mollusks on lentisk bundles which, during the hot months, are submerged in the Great Sea. After sixty days, the “fascinotti” are withdrawn, the branched branches are recovered and transplanted in pergola in the so-called “gardens” of the Mar Piccolo in front of the port of Taranto, where springs of fresh water spring up. It is precisely these submarine “pools” that give inimitable delicacy to seafood. These pools allow and encourage cultivation since oysters, albeit from the sea, love a low-salt water environment. The molluscs become salable after eighteen months. The largest “citro” of the Mar Piccolo is located near the tip of the pier to the Northeast; it flows at a depth of sixty meters and produces a vortex visible to the surface. It takes the name of “ring of San Cataldo” from a legend. The Saint was bishop of Taranto and one day, while a frightful storm raged, he took off his pastoral ring from his finger and threw it between the eddies. Suddenly the sea calmed down and at the point where the ring had fallen, a huge pool emerged. We must also remember the mullet of rock of Polignano, with an iridescent back and with such humor under the scales and the skin that, just turned over the embers, melt in a red liquid, offering a real natural sauce of unequaled delicacy.

Typical Apulian sea food

The Apulian cuisine is characterized above all by the relief given to the raw material, both of land and sea, and for the fact that all the ingredients are precisely aimed at enhancing and not altering the basic flavors of the products used. The popular imagination has created many typical recipes that see fish products as absolute protagonists. The blue fish, caught in abundance, is cooked mostly in a simple and tasty and is often accompanied with seasonal vegetables, according to the tradition that has always characterized the cuisine of Puglia: offer different dishes depending on the season, with fresh products consumed at the time of their actual maturation. All seasoned with olive oil of exceptional quality and accompanied by fine wines that blend perfectly with the local flavors. Here are some “typically Apulian” recipes.

Sea recipes

• FIRST DISHES
• SECOND COURSES

FIRST DISHES

Tiella of rice and mussels
Specialty of Bari. Around the middle of 1600, the Spaniards, during their domination, left some mark in the regional cuisine of Puglia. For example, a comparison between the Apulian tiella and the Spanish paella can be attempted. The root seems obvious: with both the names indicate, in fact, the pan … the pan. It is a “single dish” composed of various ingredients superimposed raw in distinct layers and then fired. The Iberian composition, for tourism, is richer in ingredients, the Pugliese is more linear.
Ingredients: dose for 4 – 6 people. Mussels g 500 – small tomatoes from Puglia g 500 – potatoes g 500 – rice (recommended the superfine) g 300 – 2 onions – grated pecorino – garlic – parsley – extra virgin olive oil (medium fruity Pugliese) – salt – pepper. time about an hour. Scrape and wash the mussels then put them in a saucepan, cover the container and open the molluscs on a high flame. Finally remove the half-valve left empty from each mussel. Peel the onions and potatoes, then slice them rather subtly. Finely chop a large tuft of parsley together with two cloves of garlic: chop the cut and chopped tomatoes coarsely into pieces. In a suitable oven pan, make a layer with the sliced ​​onions, sprinkle with a little of the minced garlic and parsley, salt and sprinkle with two tablespoons of oil. Arrange the potato slices on the onions, leaving aside about twenty, then on these lay the mussels with their half valve, season with about four tablespoons of pecorino cheese, salt, pepper, the remaining mince of garlic and parsley and four tablespoons of oil . On the whole distribute the rice, raw, arrange on the surface the remaining slices of potatoes and, if desired, sprinkle with little chopped parsley, sprinkle with a spoonful of oil and then add as much water as you need to cover the ingredients. Place the preparation in a hot oven at 180 ° C for about 30 minutes, that is until the tiella has rightly dried and the rice will be cooked. According to the season, in the rice and mussel tiella, they can change the ingredients; in summer you can replace potatoes with courgettes and sometimes even in the autumn with mushrooms. In a dish, where the ingredients are varied and the flavors are complex, the characteristic of the wine-making combination will be with a structured, full-bodied white wine with a slight aroma: for example, the Martina Franca D.O.C.

Vermicelli with crabs
Gallipoline specialties. Large rock crabs stewed in tomato sauce and then used to season the dry vermicelli.

Eel soup
It is the flat symbol of Lesina made with eels that remain in the lake (in the marsh) – hence the name “pantanine” – after fishing for the captains. They are tender and buttery, linked to the hard history of the fishermen and their need, until a few decades ago, to live for months in rudimentary huts of reeds built on the lagoon (haystacks) eating what was on the spot: nothing but eels, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So still today the soup is made with what the forest offers: wild chicory and lettuce (then, according to the recipe, we add celery, peppers, potatoes, eggplant). Once a good dose of cabbage was added, an ingredient that had a clear reason for being. When the lake was the private property of a few families, in fact, often, the fishermen of Lesina were forced to steal. The stolen fish had to be cooked in secret: so it was mixed with the cabbage, which covered the smell a little, and it was cooked in tall, narrow terracotta pots to hold back the vapors.

Brindisine fish soup
It has a base of garlic, tomatoes, oil, parsley and welcomes touches of eel, grouper, sea bream, dentex, squid, cuttlefish, shrimp, black mussels. Also in Brindisi is prepared the “Greek soup”, with celery, potatoes, onion and rockfish, which can be accompanied by bread or pasta, to taste.

Gallopolina fish soup
This famous soup is considered as the direct descendant of an ancient Spartan soup, of which many speak, but which no one has ever tasted. Rekindled with a few slices of tomato, flavored with onion, made fresh with a sprinkling of vinegar, it reveals a delicate lovable vein on the palate. In the gallipolina enter scorpion fish, grouper, sarago, calamari, imperial prawns and black mussels.

SECOND COURSES

Eel grilled
Classic preparation of Lake Lesina. Open and barbed when it’s big, whole and stuffed on the spit if it’s small. Simple dish, poor, which belongs to the recipe book of fishermen. Inextricably linked to the life of the village, Lesina eel is daily food and ritual food, especially on Christmas Eve.

Eels with sea water
Eat typical of the riparian population of Lake Lèsina. His technique, which excludes the use of fire, is even primordial. The “blind” eels (fry), placed in bowls, are covered with sea water and left in the sun. After evaporating the water, they sit down with oil and vinegar.

Casserole of octopus
The goodness of the octopuses captured in the waters of Bari derives, according to experts, from the depths of the lower Adriatic Sea. The deeper the sea, the more saturated with salt, and the octopus living in a rather salty environment acquire better taste. Before cooking them, you have to beat them on the ground or against the rocks (someone prescribes 99 shots); to this operation, practiced everywhere, the fishermen of Bari follow a second one: they curl them by shaking them energetically in wicker baskets and wetting them with sea water (pulpe rizze). Beaten and curled, they can be eaten raw or fried or baked or boiled without water and made in salad. The “polypetti casserole” is a characteristic sauce made with oil, onion, dry white wine, pepper, fresh tomatoes and parsley. It serves to soak up the bread or to season the pasta.

Ciambotto or Ciabotta
The first term is Bari, the second Foggia. Intingolo of minute fish of various qualities cooked with olive oil, onion, some fresh tomato or sauce, red pepper; to season pasta (spaghetti or perciatelli).

Arrived mussels
Private mussels from the upper valve, placed in a terracotta pot with bread crumbs, oregano, garlic and parsley, drizzled with olive oil and tomato juice, then sent in the oven; half-cooked, they are sprinkled with dry white wine. Outside of Puglia these mussels are called “alla tarantina”.

Red snapper with olives
Bari specialties. Big whipped, washed, cut into two parts with a vertical cut, baked in a mixture of oil and vinegar, enriched with the advanced cooking of a beautiful fistful of black olives.

Fragaglia
Mixed of fish of various species, from anchovies to trilli, from “blue” to mini-cod. They are beheaded and open to fillet them. They are macerated in lemon juice and parsley.

Beauties at the San Nicola
That is to say prepared in the manner of the inhabitants of the district of San Nicola in the old Bari. Sea bream whipped, washed in sea water, kept in a marinade of oil and lemon, roasted in a grill and pillottate in cooking with the liquid from the marinade. The “infanticelle”, bream that does not exceed three ounces, are made in foil with oil, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon.

Fins
These large mollusks, belonging to the family of lamellibranchs, are still today an appetizing appetizer of the Salentine countries of the Ionian coast. They are eaten raw, in salad with olive oil, lemon juice, pepper, parsley. Once the fin fishing was carried out more intensively, since the filament produced by these shellfish was used to make the famous byssus.

Scapece Gallipop
Fish of the family of foxes locally called “pupiddi”, fried, mixed with breadcrumbs and marinated with vinegar in which saffron was dissolved. This gallipoline specialty is sold in all the festivals of Salento by street vendors called “scapecieri”. In the homemade “scapece”, saffron is often replaced by crushed garlic and mint.

Gratinated soles
Place in oiled pan, season with salt, chopped garlic and parsley, a crumble (optional) of oregano, cover with bread and grated cheese, sprinkle with a cross of oil, bake in the oven.

Tarantello
Salami made with fresh tuna meat removed from the belly. It is prepared in all the southern tuna and takes its name from Taranto, a place of the oldest trade. The first mention of the tarantello is found in the lunch list given in Rome in 1536 by cardinale Campeggio in honor of Carlo V.

The Apulian cuisine is characterized above all by the relief given to the raw material, both of land and sea, and for the fact that all the ingredients are precisely aimed at enhancing and not altering the basic flavors of the products used. The popular imagination has created many typical recipes that see fish products as absolute protagonists. The blue fish, caught in abundance, is cooked mostly in a simple and tasty and is often accompanied with seasonal vegetables, according to the tradition that has always characterized the cuisine of Puglia: offer different dishes depending on the season, with fresh products consumed at the time of their actual maturation. All seasoned with olive oil of exceptional quality and accompanied by fine wines that blend perfectly with the local flavors. Here are some “typically Apulian” recipes.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL … GOOD AND HEALTH

It’s really true: “Eat well, Improve life”!
Today the whole world envies and recognizes the value of the Mediterranean diet and also thanks to our oil, which is able to combine the pleasure of the table with the care of health.

The agricultural economy of the southern regions is characterized by a high incidence of the olive growing sector: about 86% of the Italian olive oil production plant is located in the southern regions.

With 50 million plants cultivated over 360 thousand hectares, 255 thousand farms, of which 150 thousand specialized, the Apulian olive cultivation represents 24% of the agricultural area used in the entire region, provides 44% of the Italian production of olive oil and 12% of the world production of olive oil.

The extra virgin olive oil has a very high nutritional quality, thanks to its favorable composition in fatty acids that does not contribute to worsen the health of our arteries, but on the contrary, it is support for their good functioning.

Puglia, thanks to the olive tree, a noble witness tree of mythology, history and literature, is in first place for the production of olives and oil, and is renowned for being one of the most important Italian regions in the Italian olive production.
In Apulia of the XII-XIII century, between the five provinces of the region the territory of Bari is certainly the most vocated and that gave life to a real “culture of oil”.
A thousand-year tradition is behind the Apulian olive growing: the 1200 mills located in Puglia are equipped to mill the fruit of olive trees that occupy a surface of about 370,000 Ha.
Apulian olive growing is characterized by a wide range of varieties, we can count about 53.

In general, olive oil has different flavors, fruity or spicy, sweet or bitter, strong or delicate because its taste is strongly determined by the different natural elements, which, like wine, are the earth, the sun and the climate.
Olive oil is not all the same and above all not everyone can boast the name “Extravergine”. This is because the processing and the physical-chemical qualities of the product vary.
Olive oil is distinguished in three main categories. At the base, extra virgin olive oil, is considered the best oil, not subjected to any process of processing or refining.

• Virgin olive oil or pure, slightly more acidic than the first and as extra virgin is not refined.
• Fine olive oil or olive oil, made from refined olive oil to which virgin olive oil is added to improve its taste.
• The pomace oil, very acid is the pomace that is added to extra virgin olive oil.

The extra virgin olive oil, is the only one to consist mainly of monounsaturated fatty acids (it represents almost 70% of an extra virgin); polyunsaturated fats (essential for many physiological processes); antioxidant elements, which make extra virgin olive oil particularly important for our health, encouraging the lowering of “bad” cholesterol, preventing cardiovascular disease and artherosclerosis.

The most delicate quality of extra virgin olive oil, golden yellow, of sweet taste with slight tingling, is ideal for raw dishes.

The medium type, of an intense yellow color, with a sweet and slightly herbaceous flavor, is suitable for steam and salt.
The most intense type, greenish-yellow color, with rich fruity and slightly spicy aroma, is suitable for grilling and roasts.

Today, the European Union has decided to protect agri-food production through the Reg. Ce n. 2081/92 of 14 July 1992, concerning the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin of agricultural products and foodstuffs.
So both the territory and the tradition are the elements recognized by the EU, which for this purpose has placed to protect food quality two specific brands, the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), to identify the products whose production, processing and processing takes place in a well-defined geographical area with a recognized and proven expertise) and the IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) is the quality mark that is attributed to those agricultural products and foodstuffs for which a specific quality depends on the geographical origin and whose production , transformation and / or processing takes place in a specific geographical area).
To safeguard olive oil, the EU has promulgated the regulation 2568/91 and subsequent amendments in which it establishes a classification of oils according to strict parameters, mainly in order to eliminate the possibility of easy mixing with oils of lower commercial value, such as those of olive pomace and those of seeds (sunflower, corn, soy, peanut, canola, safflower, grape seed …).

Knowing how to know, appreciate and use the precious extra virgin olive oil, whose organoleptic properties, nutritional values ​​and health benefits belong to each of us, helps to consolidate your well-being. Because of its characteristics, an extra virgin olive oil is appreciated more if combined with the right flavors, so as to enhance and enhance the quality of the food and the oil itself.

OIL PRODUCTION ZONES

• Foggia
• Foggia e BAT
• Bari
• Brindisi
• Taranto, Brindisi, Lecce
• Taranto

FOGGIA

Extra virgin olive oil Dauno DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Olive oil
Production areas: All the territory of Foggia, but depending on the area and the varietal composition are identified 4 different mentions of oil: Low Tavoliere, Gargano, Alto Tavoliere, Sub Apennines
Product description: color tending from green to yellow. Maximum acidity of 0.6%. Slightly fruity smell. Fruity taste with strong spicy and bitter taste.
– Low Tavoliere (70% Coratina variety): intense, herbaceous, fruity, clean aroma; sweet taste with strong bitter and spicy notes, typical aftertaste of artichoke. It is also appreciated for its density and tactile pastiness.
– Gargano (70% Ogliarola Garganica variety): clean and quite fruity olive scent; sweet taste, delicately fragrant, typical almond aftertaste.
– Alto Tavoliere (80% Peranzana variety): intense, fruity, clean-cut nose with herbaceous-floral notes; fruity taste with good bitter / spicy balance.
– Sub Appennino (70% Ogliarola, Coratina, Rotondella varieties): faint fruity aroma, net of olive; sweet taste with nuances sui generis.
Traditional history of the product: The ancient olive-growing vocation of the area is proven by the term Daunia with which the Romans indicated the current territory in the province of Foggia. Hence the origin of the name “Dauno”.
Notes: The gastronomic combinations are the most varied depending on the type of oil used.
The Low Tavoliere is well suited to pasta and soups with strong flavors, roasts and dishes made with cooked vegetables; the Gargano has a more delicate flavor and therefore goes well with dishes based on fish and shellfish or raw vegetables. The Alto Tavoliere is suitable for pinzimoni, salads, bruschetta, or with dishes both raw and cooked. Finally the Sub Appennino is ideal for refined fries and for uses in pastry.

FOGGIA E BAT

Olive Bella of the Daunia PDO

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Vegetable products in their natural state or processed
Production areas: The production area of ​​the PDO
Production period: The olives are harvested directly from the plant, for the green olives to be done from 10 October to 20 November, when the film starts to turn from green leaf to straw-green with well-pronounced lenticels, for black olives
Product description: Table olive green or black color. When consumed, the former has a uniform straw-yellow color with marked lenticels, while the dark variety has an intense black color throughout the pulp thickness. Both have an elongated shape, resembling a plum, with a narrow base and a sharp and subtle apex; delicacy, flavor and full and compact consistency of the pulp, almost crisp, thinness of the film; weighs about 11 gr. and has a pulp yield of about 80%.
Elements: To avoid contact with the ground during the harvest, sheets should be used. For transportation, the use of suitable plastic boxes is required to avoid damage to the product
Traditional history of the product: The introduction of the Bella della Daunia in the Foggia area is due to feudal lords from different nations (Italy, Spain, Belgium and France) who attracted by the fertile land and mild climate decided to settle in the area. La Bella della Daunia, originally called “olive of Spain”, was renamed Bella di Cerignola from the name of the municipality in which it had its maximum spread. Today the Bella della Daunia can be considered a native variety, with better characteristics than the original one, both under the qualitative aspect (higher pulp-hazel ratio), and under the organoleptic aspect, due to the sun or the nature of the soil.
Notes: For about six centuries it is the table olive par excellence. Its cultivation, started around 1400 more for self-consumption than for commercial needs, has become a productive activity of considerable importance for Cerignola. It is tanned in special wooden containers called “cugnett” of 5-10 kg and stored in glass or earthenware containers.

BARI

Terra di Bari extra virgin olive oil DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Olive oil
Production areas: The production area of ​​olives for the production of extra virgin olive oil with a registered designation of origin
Areas of discovery: In the municipalities of the province of Bari, belonging to the areas identified as Castel del Monte, Bitonto and Murgia dei Trulli and the Caves
Production period: By the end of January
Product description: Olio Terra di Bari has a yellow to green color, has a fruity flavor with a slightly spicy and bitter aftertaste. The fruity smell recalls the scent of herbs and fresh almonds. Acidity does not exceed 0.60%.
Traditional product history: In the province of Bari the olive-growing tradition is very strong. Already in Roman times its trade was flourishing. Later in the Middle Ages it had a new impetus and spread to Venice from where it left towards some countries of continental Europe.
Notes: Given the large production area of ​​the province of Bari, today this PDO is one of the first in terms of quantity.

TOAST
Extra virgin olive oil Collina di Brindisi DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Olive oil
Production areas: The area of ​​the province of Brindisi coinciding with the last eastern stretch of the Murge Plateau, at an altitude between 50 and 350 meters above sea level
Areas of discovery: Carovigno, Ceglie Messapica, Cisternino, Fasano, Ostuni, San Michele Salentino, San Vito dei Normanni and Villa Castelli
Product description: The PDO Collina di Brindisi is an excellent oil in several aspects: it has a color tending from green to yellow, has a maximum acidity of 0.80%, is sweet, has a slightly fruity taste and smell with a slight perception of spicy and bitter. It is obtained for 70% from olives of the Ogliarola type, while the remainder is the result of olive varieties Cellina, Nardò, Coratina, Frantoio, Leccino and Picholine.
Traditional product history: The spread of olive trees in the land of Brindisi has very distant origins; today they give evidence of magnificent ancient olive trees present in the territory. The Ogliarola, the main olive variety of this oil, is also called Chiarita and has spread since Roman times.
Notes: The hill of Brindisi is suitable to season and embellish every dish

TARANTO, BRINDISI, LECCE
Terra d’Otranto extra virgin olive oil DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Olive oil
Production areas: The production area of ​​the olives for the production of Terre d’Otranto PDO extra virgin olive oil includes the entire administrative territory of the provinces of Lecce and the territory of the province of Taranto with the exclusion of the following municipalities: Ginosa, Laterza , Castellaneta, Palagianello, Palagiano, Mottola, Massafra, Crispiano, Statte and the portion of the municipality of Taranto registered in the land registry with the letter A and the following municipalities of the province of Brindisi: Brindisi, Cellino, S.Marco, Erchie, Francavilla Fontana , Latiano, Mesagne, Oria, Sandonaci, San Pancrazio Salentino, San Pietro Vernotico, Torchiarolo and Torre S. Susanna. The aforementioned geographical area extends in an archway between the Jonio and Adriatico seas, from the southeastern Murge, to the Lecce board, ending up in the Serre, at the confluence of the two seas.
Production period: the harvest must take place by January 31, while the milling operations within 2 days of collection.
Product description: Has maximum acidity of 0.80%. Yellow or green with green shades. Fruity taste slightly spicy and bitterish. Fruity smell with slight perception of leaf.
Elements: For the extraction of this precious oil are allowed only the mechanical and physical processes to ensure the obtainment of oils without any alteration of the qualitative characteristics contained in the fruit
Traditional product history: It takes its name from the term used in ancient times by the Basilan monks to indicate the territory that extends in an arc between the Murge and the Ionian and Adriatic coast. The cultivation of the olive tree was introduced by Phoenicians and Greeks, but it was the Basilian monks themselves who made it a flourishing activity.
Notes: Its characteristics make it suitable for embellishing grilled fish, salads, boiled vegetables, legumes, durum wheat pasta.

TARANTO
Terre Tarentine extra virgin olive oil DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Olive oil
Production areas: The western area of ​​the province of Taranto, including the municipalities of: Ginosa, Laterza, Castellaneta, Palagianello, Palagiano, Mottola, Massafra, Crispiano, Statte, Martina Franca, Monteiasi and Montemesola.
Production period: The harvest is made from the month of October, until the month of January. Before pressing, the olives can remain in the crusher for up to 72 hours.
Description of the product: This PDO is the fruit of a variety of olives: Leccino, Coratina, Ogliarola, Frantoio, present alone or together up to a maximum of 80%. The remaining 20% ​​is made up of other minor varieties present on the territory. It appears slightly fluid. Yellow-green color. Fruity taste with a slight perception of bitter and spicy. Maximum acidity of 0.6%.
Traditional product history: Olive cultivation in this land dates back to the first millennium BC by the Messapians. The subsequent advent by Phoenicians and Greeks allowed the affirmation as an agricultural activity of great value.
Notes: Excellent seasoning with vegetables, but its delicate aroma makes it equally pleasing on meat or fish.

Capocollo of Martina Franca

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The municipality of Martina Franca in the province of Taranto

Product description: Cured ham (coppa) and smoked with Fragno bark. It is a sausage made with pork.

Elements: It is processed, left to macerate in martinised white wine, salted and mixed with herbs and herbs, dried in sheets and seasoned.

Roast meat of Laterza

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Laterza Municipality in the province of Taranto.

Product description: Pieces of meat (lamb, lamb, sheep) strung on steel spits and interspersed with pieces of red onion of Acquaviva delle Fonti.

Elements: The meat skewers, once prepared, should be cooked slowly in a wood oven for 30 minutes, then put on the heat for another 30 minutes.

Goat meat

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Province of Foggia

Product description: Fresh meat obtained mostly from kids of 40 days (in the Christmas and Easter period) and adult animals (in the month of August).

Elements: Kids fed with breast milk, adult grazing animals and fed in the barn with grain and pelleted flours. The meat should be kept in the fridge.
Traditional history of the product: Before the 2nd World War it was a widespread habit to sell goat’s milk in the countries taking the lactating goats. The request for milk was satisfied at the moment with a quick milking. Goat farms, to satisfy this need and for the request for meat, were located close to the last houses. At S. Marco in Lamis (FG), at the end of the 60s, at least two farms were still active near the town.

Notes: Also called “primaticcio, corvesco, mulattio”.

Podolic meat

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The province of Foggia, Bari, Barletta and Taranto.

Description of the product: The meat is not attributable to the common aesthetic standards, therefore it is not much appreciated by the modern consumer because: the fat is yellow (because the animals eat grass rich in carotene); the consistency is fibrous; the taste is intense, slightly sweetish. The calves of this breed are born frumentini (ie with reddish hair) and keep that color of the hair up to three months. The Murgia breed has gray fur but darker than that bred in Foggia and Gargano. Both males and females are endowed with slightly curved horns, not too long. The breed is defined as “maternal” in the sense that the cow has a high fertility, is “long-lived” because the average life is around 13-14 years and “great production efficiency” as the cows reach the weight of 800-850 kg, while the bulls on average between 900-950 kg.

Elements: This bovine has an extraordinary power of adaptation to very difficult environments and great ability to use food resources otherwise unusable. The Podolica, despite being a late primipara (around three years), is characterized by a good fertility and a long reproductive career. The majority of cows remain in breeding up to over 12 years, with a high number of births for each mare. The average inter-part interval is about 15 months. The considerable weight differences detected at different ages are mainly due to the different food availability in the various breeding areas. The cattle are sold around 15-16 months for the slaughterhouse, with weights that are around 300-350 kg. In some cases, with regard to the males, heavier vests are produced, slaughtered around 2 years of age and weighing 500 kg. Usually there are about a couple of bulls per company.

Notes: Podolic meat is also called Apulian bovine.

cervellata

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats

Production areas: the Municipalities of Toritto, Borgata Quasano (Tourist District) and neighboring areas, in the province of Bari.

Product description: Adult beef, goat and adult sheep meat with garlic and fresh basil or parsley, Roman cheese, salt, ground black pepper and water.

Elements: The most humid parts are chosen. Cut into pieces, degrease and pass in the meat grinder with garlic, basil or parsley. After grinding, add grated cheese, salt, pepper and water. It is kneaded and dried in the gut of the fresh mutton. It hangs to make it drain and then keeps in the fridge for consumption.

Laterza livers

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Laterza Municipality in the province of Taranto.

Product description: Guts and entrails of baby lamb or goat (liver, heart, lungs, spleen and kidneys), soaked in milk, wrapped with parsley and cooked on a spit for about 20 min.

Lardo di Faeto

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Municipality of Faeto, in the province of Foggia

Production period: Processing from September to May.

Product description: The lard of Faeto is obtained from cuts of pork, in particular from the black pig of Faeto and the white pig. It has a rectangular shape, of various dimensions and thickness of not less than 3 cm. The lower part preserves the rind, while the upper part is covered by seasoning salt, bay leaves and peppercorns; it has a white, slightly pinkish color, a soft and moist consistency; It has a fresh taste, tending towards sweet and very sweet aromatic scent. May present a strip of skinny.

Elements: The lard must be processed within 72 hours of slaughter. Salty, it is placed in tanks for at least 48 hours. Then remove the excess salt and, if the bacon should not be used in the kitchen as a condiment, should be spiced with bay leaves and pepper. The salting phase follows for about 60 days, up to a maximum of 90 days. The technique involves hanging a wood rod in an airy place, thanks to an elm wood hook.

Traditional product history: The reference to “lu rèj” is found in many popular sayings of the area, in which lard is synonymous with nutritious wealth and security against the snowy and cold winters that characterize the area of ​​the Monti Dauni.

Notes: Also called Rèj de Faite. The lard corresponds to the adipose area present on the back of the pig up to the buttocks and laterally up to the pancetta.

Premises: Moderately ventilated and cool rooms

Muschiska

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Several municipalities in the province of Foggia.

Product description: Pieces of boneless meat, dried in the sun. Brown color.

Elements: The boned meat of sheep, goat or young calf is seasoned with chilli pepper, salt, garlic and fennel and dried in the sun for 15-20 days.

Notes: It should be eaten raw or cooked. The origin of the word – as for the mosciame, dried meat of cetaceans or tuna – is Arabic, from mosammed, “hard thing”. The town of Rignano Garganico, in the province of Foggia, dedicates a festival in August.

Prosciutto di Faeto

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The area of ​​the Appennino Sub Dauno, in the province of Foggia.

Description of the product: It is a cured meat that comes from the rear quarter of the pig and dry salted and pressed with stone boulders.

Elements: After 4 months of seasoning it is “sugnato”, that is sprinkled with flour mixed with lard, pepper or chilli pepper. Maturing then continues for at least 12 months.

Sausage with knife tip from the Alta Murgia

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The municipalities of Altamura, Gravina, Poggiorsini and Spinazzola in the province of Bari.

Product description: An old-style sausage made from fine pieces of pork. It is prepared using lean meats and pork lard.

Elements: The pieces cut with a knife tip are mixed with wild fennel seed, strong or sweet pepper, sea salt and white wine made from white Malvasia grapes of Gravina. It is made to rest one day. Pork gut is also washed and macerated in salt, fennel seed and orange peel. The sausage is stuffed. The sausage crowns are divided into “ferse” with a cotton string and left to rest on the board for 12 hours during which they are pricked to let out more water and air. Hung, the sausage crowns are left to dry for 20-30 days.

Sausage from the Dauno Apennines

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The whole Appennino della Capitanata (Lucera, Faeto, Biccari, Volturata, Sant’Agata di Puglia, Monteleone, etc.), in the province of Foggia.

Product description: Pure pork sausage (shoulder, trimmed ham, and pancetta).

Elements: To the meat, cut with a knife tip, salt, chilli and fennel seeds are added. It sticks in pork guts and, pitted, it is dried for 20-30 days. It is preserved in jars under pork lard or extra virgin olive oil.

Laterza sausages

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: Municipality of Laterza, in the province of Taranto.

Product description: Beef, kneaded with salt, pepper and parsley water, is stuffed into sheep’s intestine and tied every 10 cm. Cook slowly on a spit in a wood oven for 15 minutes.

Soppressata dell’Appennino Dauno

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The whole Appennino della Capitanata (Lucera, Faeto, Biccari, Volturara, Sant’Agata di Puglia, Monteleone, etc.), in the province of Foggia.

Product description: It is pure pork. The fillet, the shoulder and the ham are used.

Elements: The meat is cut medium to large with a knife tip. It is seasoned with salt, whole pepper, hot pepper and spices. Size from 200 to 400 gr. It is shaped. The brawn are placed under wooden boards to give the crushed shape. Then it is dried for about 30-45 days. They are preserved in jars under pork lard or in extra virgin olive oil.

Tocchetto

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The Municipality of Lucera, in the province of Foggia.

Product description: Pieces of pork tenderloin. Before being bagged it is salted and flavored for a week in brine with typical local spices and aromas. Its round and flattened shape is reminiscent of the soppressata.

Elements: The piece is stuffed into natural casings, crushed under wooden boards and seasoned for about a month. The size varies from 200 to 400 grams.

Traditional history of the product: Anticamente used as a meal by shepherds who during the transhumance from the Dauni Mountains to the province of Tavoliere crushed the piece by placing it under the saddle of the pack animal.

turcinelli

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The province of Lecce.

Product description: Roulade of lamb or kid lamb offal (liver, heart, lung, spleen, etc.) wrapped with peritoneal membrane and kept tight with intestines. Cylindrical shape (2-3 cm in diameter and 8-12 cm in length).

Elements. The meat is washed with water and salt and then with water and lemon. It is flavored with parsley, salt, pepper and wrapped in the membrane.

Notes: They are consumed roasted on the grill

zampina

Product Type: Traditional
Product Category: Fresh Meats
Production areas: The Municipality of Sammichele di Bari.

Product description: Mixed meat sausage with tomato and various aromas, in guts of lamb or goat, rolls in coils.

BURRATA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a very fresh cheese. Product of spherical shape of about 7-10 cm, worked manually with filling of cream and pieces of spun dough contained inside a wrapping also of spun dough. For the realization of the Burrata, 50% fresh cow’s milk is used; rennet, whey (product leaving acidify part of the production of the previous day). The appearance of the Burrata has an absent crust, a smooth and shiny surface evenly, of a milky white color, a fibrous structure with overlapping layers, which releases by slashing and lightly milky liquid pressure. The paste may have gaps in which said liquid accumulates. No holes. The color is homogeneous milk white, free from spots or streaks. The taste is typical, savory, of fresh dairy, delicately acidic, tending sweet. The smell is characteristic, typical of the cream, of dairy, delicate fragrant, of slightly acidic milk.

Traditional product history: Originally it was made from cow’s milk from the podolica breed. Today it is preferred to use the milk of the Frisian race, cheaper.

Notes: It should be consumed within 5 days of production. In the kitchen it lends itself to different preparations: it can be roughly cut and mixed with a cold pasta salad; or combine it with raw sausages such as speck; excellent if combined with a mixture of vegetables, such as zucchini, escarole, chicory …

CHEESE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production period: Seasonal, mostly from October to May.

Product description: The cheese is a cheese made from sheep’s milk or even goat’s milk. It has a circular shape. Fresh it has a golden yellow color, more buttery, sapid and with a pleasant smell. Seasoned has dark brown crust. Compact, tenacious and dry pasta. Intense flavor sometimes spicy. Pleasant smell.

CACIOCAVALLO

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production period: Seasonal, mostly from October to May

Product description: Caciocavallo is a fresh cheese made from whole cow’s milk, rennet and salt. It has a pear shape with a head. Thin crust, more or less intense yellow, easily detachable from the rest. The pasta is compact with very few eyes, a pasty and not very elastic structure. Straw-white color. The initially sweet taste becomes spicy when aged.

Notes: It is so called because the cheese forms are tied two by two and left to mature on a perch as support as if they were … on horseback. It can be consumed up to 6 months from production. In the kitchen it can be consumed either as it is or to flavor Mediterranean cuisine like spaghetti with aubergine sauce and cherry tomatoes.

CACIOCAVALLO PODOLICO DAUNO

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Production areas: In Puglia the production of this cheese affects the Gargano area, more precisely the municipalities of Cagnano Varano, Carpino, Ischitella, Lesina, Mattinata, Monte Sant’Angelo, Rignano Garganico, Rodi Garganico, San Giovanni Rotondo, San Marco in Lamis, Sannicandro Garganico, Vico del Gargano and Vieste, and both the Sub Appennino Dauno area, in the province of Foggia.

Production period: Seasonal

Product Description: It is a cheese obtained from the milk of podolic cows and derived cows raised in the wild and semi-wild pasture. It has a pear shape with a head. Presents semi-hard, thin crust, smooth, glossy. Alabaster yellow color and crumbly paste, scaly when well seasoned, sometimes porous and of an intense yellow color; savory and spicy flavor. The more mature it is, the more it acquires complex, broad aromas of pasturage and spices and an inimitable taste persistence

Notes: It can season for a very long period, even 5-6 years. It is a table-only and not a cooking cheese.

CACIOCAVALLO SILANO DOP

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Cheese
Production areas: Caciocavallo Silano is produced in Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata, Campania and Molise.

Product description: “Caciocavallo silano” is a semi-hard cheese with spun dough produced exclusively from whole cows’ milk coming from farms located in the production area provided for by the specification. It has an oval or truncated-conical shape, with head or without, respecting of local customs, with the presence of inlets depending on the position of the ties. The weight is between 1 kg and 2,500 kg; the rind is thin, smooth, with a marked straw color, the surface can have light inlets due to the ties placed in relation to the binding methods. It has a homogeneous paste, compact with very slight holes, of a white or straw yellow color, more intense on the outside and less loaded inside. It has an aromatic, pleasant taste, fuses in the mouth, normally delicate and generally sweet when the cheese is young, until it becomes spicy when ripe.

Elements: Remove from the brine the forms are tied in pairs with appropriate links and suspended with some poles in order to obtain seasoning. The minimum duration of the maturing period is 30 days, but may last longer.

Traditional history of the product: Cheese known since the time of Magna Graecia, historically produced mainly in the territories of diffusion of the autochthonous cattle breeds of southern Italy.

Notes: The etymology of the denomination “Caciocavallo Silano” derives from the name of the Sila plateau, a name that has prevailed for long time in the production area and in the consumer markets. The name Caciocavallo derives from the consolidated maturing technique of the product that is placed, tied in pairs, “on horseback” of a support.

CACIORICOTTA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a fresh cheese made from cow’s milk or goat’s milk or sheep’s milk. The cacioricotta, has its origins in the pastoral civilization. It is a cheese created by the skilled technique of mixing cow’s milk, available in different periods, processed manually, subjected to natural and dry salting. The same technique is used for cacioricotta made with sheep’s or goat’s milk. It has a round shape, a granular structure, an absent crust, a rough and dense surface that is homogeneously white in color, a granular structure without holes; It has a homogeneous white milk color, free from spots or streaks, a typical, savory taste of fresh, delicately acidic cheese, a characteristic, delicate fragrant smell of slightly sour milk. If aged, it is pale yellow in color, while the pasta remains white. The structure loses softness and becomes friable. Sapidity and smell depend on the milk used.

Notes: It should be kept in the fridge and consumed within 10 days. In the kitchen it is used to flavor pasta based on orecchiette pasta with sauce or spaghetti with fagliolini served with fresh tomato sauce.

CANESTRATO PUGLIESE DOP (CANESTRATO FOGGIANO OR PECORINO DAUNO)

Product Type: DOP
Product category: Cheese
Production areas: The area of ​​production and maturing includes the entire administrative territory of the province of Foggia and that of 16 municipalities belonging to the province of Bari: Altamura, Andria, Bitonto, Canosa, Cassano, Corato, Gravina di Puglia, Grumo Appula , Minervino Murge, Modugno, Poggiorsini, Ruvo di Puglia, Santeramo, Spinazzola, Terlizzi and Toritto.

Description of the product: Canestrato Pugliese is a raw hard cheese made from whole sheep’s milk of a gentile breed of Puglia, whose origins are linked to the merinos breed. The name of this cheese derives from the rush baskets in which it is season. And these baskets of rushes, the so-called fiscelle, are one of the most traditional products of the Apulian craftsmanship. The processing of the Canestrato Pugliese takes place with a characteristic technology deriving from the Apulian dairy tradition. This is a very long process, depending on the size of the shapes, ranging from 7 to 14 kilos. In the processing period, the shapes are enclosed in the rush baskets which give the characteristic roughness of the crust, and in these are pressed to release excess moisture. Salting, which is the fundamental procedure for preparation, is carried out dry with coarse sea salt (typical of the salt pans of Margherita di Savoia), spread around the shape. Once removed from the baskets, the forms are left to mature in fresh environments. During the maturation phase (at least 90 days) the forms are repeatedly turned and brushed. At the end, the hard and thick crust is treated with extra virgin olive oil. The maturation time goes from a minimum of 3 months to be consumed fresh, up to about 10 months for grating use. The taste, more delicate in the fresh and more intense in the one with prolonged seasoning, is decided and slightly spicy. Its flavor derives not only from the type of pasture and milk, mainly from dried lamb rennet and with great care preserved with dried peels of oranges, lemons and nettle leaves.

Notes: Canestrato Pugliese PDO is well suited to various combinations, depending on the stage of maturation achieved. The young Canestrato Pugliese is widely used in combination with fava beans, pear or raw vegetables in pinzimonio accompanied by dry and still white or rosé wines, such as Locorotondo, San Severo white, Fiano d’Avellino, Rosa del Golfo or Rosatello Antinori. The ripe Canestrato Pugliese is to be preferred grated over dry pasta dishes with meat sauce or rolls. It is considered second course if accompanied by celery, chicory, black olives and radishes served chipped by the shape. The wines to be paired are certainly structured reds and aged, so the Cabernet, Chianti, Salice Salentino del Conero never however have too much tannic wines.

GOAT

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production areas: The province of Lecce

Product description: It is a fresh cheese made from raw goat’s milk. It has a flattened cylindrical shape, a rough surface and a savory flavor. If fresh it has no crust, white color, soft paste of white color. If aged it has a thick and hard crust, straw-yellow color, hard paste with holes and yellowish color.

Notes: It should be kept in the fridge. In the kitchen it has a versatile use. It can be used in the preparation of starters, snacks or even as an ingredient in particular desserts.

JUNKET

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a fresh cheese made from cow’s milk, sheep’s milk, goat’s or sheep’s milk with the addition of liquid lamb rennet or veal. It has a cylindrical or fusiform shape, typical of the fiscella in which pasta is put. It has a soft, white consistency, taste and sweet smell of butter.

Notes: It should be kept in the fridge

MANTECA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: Butter made from the first ricotta with raw whey and covered with semi-hard spun paste, egg-shaped and weighing 500 gr.

Elements: Obtained the butter, it is beaten to allow the water to drain and becomes oval and then cover it with soft dough. The salting takes place in brine for 24h.

Notes: It should be kept in the fridge

MOZZARELLA OR FIOR DI LATTE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a very fresh cheese. Product of round shape of about 7-10 cm of diameter. If smaller, it is called “Bocconcino”, if longer it takes the name “Treccia”. The consistency is elastic and the paste is white. crust absent, smooth and shiny surface evenly, fibrous structure with overlapping sheets. The paste may have gaps in which said liquid accumulates. No holes. When it is cut, the whey comes out; the taste is sweet, the smell is fresh. For its preparation, raw cow’s milk is used, which is filtered with cotton cloths and placed in copper or steel boilers. It coagulates by adding veal rennet.

Notes: It should be consumed within 4-5 days from production. In the kitchen it lends itself to endless raw and cooked elaborations. Excellent if cut into slices, it is covered with slices of fresh tomatoes and seasoned with oil, pepper, rocket or basil.

PECORINO CHEESE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production area: All of Puglia, with prevalence of the area of ​​the Murgia of Bari and the Appennino dauno

Product description: It is a seasoned cheese. It has a cylindrical shape. Fresh has a thin crust, golden yellow color, a light yellow colored soft dough, a delicate smell and a sweet taste. Stagionato has a thick crust, of a nutty color, a tough and dry paste with a more marked eye. The paste is an intense yellow color, with a pronounced smell and a marked and sometimes spicy flavor

Notes: It is so called because made from sheep’s milk. This cheese is distinguished by the aroma of basic milk due to the strong presence of aromatic herbs in the Apulian pastures.

PECORINO DI MAGLIE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production areas: The area of ​​the Low Salento between “Serre Salentine”, Otranto, Maglie and Poggiardo

Product description: It is a cheese made with raw milk of sheep of Lecce breed, liquid lamb rennet. It has a round shape with a diameter of 12-14 cm. The fresh pecorino cheese has a straw yellow color, a soft consistency, a sweet taste and irregular holes. The aged pecorino cheese (10-12 cm) has a hazelnut crust, a pronounced and precise smell and a spicy flavor.

Elements: For the preparation, raw sheep’s milk is placed in tinned copper boilers inside, with special filters or with cotton sheets filtered, then put it in direct heat with the addition of liquid rennet. The coagulation occurs in about 45 min, after another 20 min. the curd is broken.

PECORINO FOGGIANO

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese
Production areas: The province of Foggia

Product description: It is a cheese matured with sheep’s milk mainly kept on pasture. It has a cylindrical shape. It may have a light yellow-colored soft paste or a hard paste with a firmer, yellowish color.

SCAMORZA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a raw cheese, like spun paste mozzarella. It is produced with raw cow’s milk. It has a pear shape with a short neck or head. It has a thicker paste than the mozzarella, although it is soft and buttery. It has a homogeneous ivory white color if fresh, or has a yellow color tending to ocher if it is smoked. Delicate aroma, sweet taste, slightly savory. For the smoked scamorza treccione or tarallo forms are allowed.

Notes: The term derives from the action of cutting off the cheese head at the time of consumption. In the kitchen it can be used, for example, sliced ​​in circular sections and then cooked on the plate, or to flavor oven-baked pastries.

SHEEP SCAMORZA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: cheeses

Product description: It is a cheese, obtained from sheep’s milk, semi-cooked pasta and spun manually, not subjected to stewing and salted in brine at rapid maturation. It is an elastic or compact white product. If aged it has thin and smooth crust of yellow color. Pear-shaped with head, diameter 6/12 cm, height 10. Flavor sweet or savory depending on the level of seasoning.

VACCINE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Cheese

Product description: It is a cheese, obtained from cow’s milk. It has a cylindrical shape. The signs of the fiscella are imprinted on the surface. The fresh one has a very thin straw yellow rind. The pasta is compact, tender and white in color. Sweet taste and delicate smell. The seasoned one has the thickest and hardest crust, light brown color, the straw yellow paste initially becomes cream towards the end of the maturing. The holes are more evident with the passing of the seasoning.

Notes: Inherits the name from the type of milk from which it is obtained.

RICOTTA CHEESE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Products of animal origin

Product description: It is a very fresh cheese. Product with a truncated conical shape with a diameter of about 8-15 cm and a height of 5-18 cm. Its texture is creamy and not very consistent, the rind is absent, has no holes. The taste is slightly sweet and the smell is delicate. The ingredients are pasteurized milk, whey and salt. The ricotta is obtained by the annealing of the whey (liquid residue obtained after the coagulation of the milk made from the rennet – the water that remains after producing the mozzarella). Seasonally, salted ricotta is also produced with whey from sheep’s and goat’s milk. Notes: It should be consumed within 5 days of production. In the kitchen its use is the most varied both raw and cooked. Excellent as a condiment for rustic pizzas or essential in the typical Apulian dish “ravioli con ricotta”.

STRONG RICOTTA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Products of animal origin
Production period: All year round, mostly from October to May

Product description: It is a creamy, spreadable cheese made from seasoned sheep’s milk. It has a cream color, a very strong and decisive odor and a spicy flavor.

Notes: Ties well in tomato sauces. Excellent as an ingredient for stuffing meat, tomato and onion pizza with olives. Teases the appetite if spread on toast or toasted bread, along with cherry tomatoes, anchovy and extra virgin olive oil.

RICOTTA MARZOTICA LECCESE

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Products of animal origin
Production areas: The province of Lecce

Production period: From February to May

Product description: It is a specialty of ricotta produced in early spring when the flocks are grazing the softest forage and produce the most tasty milk. It has a truncated conical shape with a height of 7-15 cm. It is of average diameter of 10-15 cm. Surface of green color. The structure of the dough is crumbly and inelastic, the taste is sapid with a characteristic smell. It is left to age for 10-20 days in well ventilated and fresh rooms. After the grassing it is again seasoned for 10 days.

Elements: The production technique of this cheese is quite special. The ricotta in fact after it has been attributed the form is rolled in a layer of herbs, usually leaves of grasses, until the surface is not completely covered. This procedure is called “grassing”.

SALTED OR MARZOTIC RICOTTA

Product Type: Traditional
Product category: Products of animal origin
Production areas: The provinces of Bari, Brindisi, Foggia and Taranto

Product description: It has a truncated conical or cylindrical shape, a height of about 20 cm and an average diameter of 15 cm. Surface of white color or it can take brown color when covered by a layer of bran. The structure is crumbly and inelastic. The salty taste with vague memory of starting serum.

Elements: The maturation takes place in underground rooms “u casler” natural caves located in the rock of the Murgia below the level of the countryside. Often these are artificial premises very similar for conditions to natural ones. In some areas we proceed to the process of adding a uniform layer of durum wheat bran to the whole surface of the form. In this case a minimum seasoning period of one month is required and consumption must take no longer than 10-12 months.

Notes: It is used as a grater product.