Salento is the southern part of Puglia. Its history is rich in legends that narrate the birth of some typical dishes.
Friselle are a kind of dry bread that can be seasoned with cherry tomatoes, oil, cheese and even vegetables . According to legend, the spread of this food is linked to the landing of Aeneas, the hero of the Iliad, near Otranto. Instead, pittule are small balls of fried dough that are sometimes served with sugar and other times they are seasoned with tomatoes, olives and mussels. ⠀
The pizzo is a very tasty dough, whose dough is enriched by the addition of many ingredients: onions, olives, fresh and dried tomatoes. Even the rustic 'Lecce ' has a unmistakable flavor, based on sf pasta oglia, mozzarella, tomato and bechamel. Its peculiar shape resembles a disc. ⠀ ⠀
Although all these specialties can also be enjoyed alone, the Salento tradition considers 'ciceri e tria ' the real highlight. It is pasta and chickpeas which is partly boiled and partly fried. Among the most renowned vines of Salento there is Negramaro, whose name seems to be linked to the characteristics that distinguish it: its dark color (a ruby red) and the slightly dry and bitter
taste.
No one who has visited a baroque square or a beach in Salento has not tried the famous pasticciotto, a shortcrust pastry that resembles the shape of a trunk. In fact, the pasticciotto preserves the exceptional flavor of the custard. Traditionalists say that it should be eaten in the company of a good coffee.
In any case, the pasticciotto is good for all seasons, while the cartellate can only be tasted during the Christmas period, when families gather at the table and savor this dessert with a thin and crumbly pastry, often covered with honey. or with mulled wine.
