Escape-Artists::Enogastronomy in Italy::Enogastronomy in Puglia

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The wine of Puglia will complete this very short enogastronomic tour. As Italy’s most prolific grape producer and represents 25 DOC’s, which include: Colline di Brindisi, Dauuno, Terra di Bari and Berra di Otranto, and Primitivo di Manduria. 
“The Nose” will be travel and tasting some of these and other varietals.
The region produces nearly half of Italy’s total volume of Olive oil, giving DOP designation to Colline di Brindisi, Dauno, Terra di Bari and Terra di Otranto.

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Enogastronomy in Puglia (Apulia) (See map) - (the culture of food and wine) can be traced to the Romans, Greeks, Etruscans, and other Mediterranean people who valued the community culture of raising, cultivating, and preserving food.

Due to the high limestone content of the soil, olive trees and grapevines thrive throughout the region. A high level of iron oxide accounts for the red soil of central and southern Puglia. This mineral content allows both the olive and grape to flourish in this “red carpet,” as it is know by the Puglian.

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Puglia is probably most famous for the trullo,a dwelling with a conical stone roof. Alberobello is home to the highest concentration of trulli in southern Italy. The trullo is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations (UNESCO). It is believed that ancient farmers stored their grain in these small huts. In recent times, many of these little gnome homes have been renovated and are available as rentals for tourists. Make sure you take the opportunity to do such when you visit Puglia, it’s part of the flavor and since we are speaking of enogastronomy...

From the region's supplies of hard durum wheat, many types of pasta are produces, the most famous is orecchiette (“little ear”) and cavatieddi. The pasta of Puglia is made without egg.

Altamura bread is a staple food in Puglia. A very crisp and fragrant bread, its’ interior is the color of straw and soft to the touch. Distinctively altramura stays fresh for a long period of time.

This region, the heal of the Italian boot, produces the nation’s largest volumes of olive oil and wine.

You’ve got to love the limestone!

Puglia is the domain of the “queen of beans,” the fava, as well as tomatoes, artichokes, arugula, eggplant, garlic and peppers. Lampascioni, an onion similar to the shallot, is unique to Puglia, giving Puglian dishes an interestingly bitter taste. These vegetables grow extremely well in the sandy and alluvial soil along the shores as well as on the plains

Now, it may appear that the gastronomy of Puglia is vegetarian, but simply isn’t true. The Adriatic and Ionian seas provide a wealth of seafood, especially prized are oysters, and mussels from the Gulf of Taranto. Included in the seas bounty are: octopus, cattlefish, squid, anchovies, sardines, and sea urchins.

During the month of August, Puglia celebrates La Notte della Taranta, a festival that tell of the life of this southern Italian region with its love songs, duels, dance, of course, local food specialities. More on the Tarantismo another time.

Note:During a recent visit to Puglia, I met 2 wonderful people, Lucia Ubertiello, a tour guide lucia.ubertiello@libero.it and Augusto Francot at www.hallmarktravels.com Their knowledge and love of Puglia was the inspiration for writing this article. Thank you!

The city of Andria is birthplace of Burrata, a creamy and luscious fresh buffalo mozzerella cheese with a buttery texture. It is best enjoyed within 2 days from the time it is made. This make it next to impossible to taste this gift of Puglia without traveling to the region.

Although not exactly the same, I have found a maker of high quality burrata cheese in El Monte, California that is a great domestic substitute. Gioia Cheese Company is available in many Italian Speciality Markets.

Canestrato Pugliese is an uncooked sheep milk cheese which is aged for a period of two to ten months