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Puglia

Also known as Apulia, The heel of Italy is rich in culinary delights; the flat wheat fields of its Tavoliere are one of Italy's breadboxes, and it produces a lion's share of the country's olive oil. The seafood includes unusual shell fish such as fasolare and taiedda. Pugliese cooks make good use of vegetables and pulses; the classic pasta dishes are orecchiette con le cime di rapa and ciceri e tria. Also look out for the strongly flavoured ricotta forte.

The name is derived from the Latin Apulia, meaning the 'land of Iapudes', the Italic tribe that inhabited the northern part of the region.

agrumi

citrus

alici

anchovies

allievi

cuttlefish

arrabbiata

spicy hot pasta sauce

barattiere

unripe musk melons

barchiglia

chocolate topped pear and almond tart

biancomangiare

blancmange

bocca di dama

ancient Tuscan cake, or Puglian breast-shaped pastries

bocconotti

bite-size filled pastries

bombette

roulades

braciola

a chop, a thin steak, or involtini

broccoletti

'little broccolis'

Burrata

creamy, buttery mozzarella-like cheese

Burrino

cheese with a butter filling

Caciocavallo

hanged sheep or cow's milk cheese

Caciofiore

fresh sheep's cheese made with vegetable rennet

Cacioricotta

a soft, mixed cheese

calzone

'trouser legs'- a pizza folded over

Canestrato

partially cooked cheese made in a basket

cappello da Gendarme

gendarme hat-shaped savoury pie

capuzzelle

lamb's head

cardoncelli

king oyster mushrooms

carosello

unripe musk melons

carota

carrot

cartellate

Puglia's Christmas pastries

cassatedde

ricotta filled pastry moons

cavatelli

rolled out and folded pasta

ceci

chick peas

Cerignola

large mild green olive

cervellata

one name, many sausages

cicerchia

grass pea

ciceri e tria

chickpeas and tagliatelle

cicoria

chicory/endives

ciliegie

cherries

cime di rapa

brassica rapa

clementina

clementine

copeta

almond brittle

coppa

a spicy salame—or a cup

cuddura

bread rings and many other things

cupeta

honey and nut sweet

cutugnata

quince preserve

fave

broad beans

femminello

aromatic lemons

finocchio

fennel

focaccia

flat bread, usually

frisa

ring-shaped rusk

fruttone

cream tarts with chocolate

Giuncata

a soft cheese from the south

gnumerieddi

stuffed lamb's innards on a spit

grano duro

durum wheat

lagane

home-made ribbon pasta

lampascioni

bulbs of the grape hyacinth

lanache

similar to linguine

lanterne

pasta 'lanterns'

lingue di suocera

crispy flat bread or colourful pasta ribbons

lucanica

pork sausage

macco/maccu

broad bean soup

mandarino

clementine (tangerine)

mandorle

almonds

marro

offal roast

Marzotica

Pugliese sheep's milk cheese

molloni

pasta in the shape of vine tendrils

muschiska

jerky

muso

snout (or a really good soup, or a pastry)

mustazzoli

honey biscuits

ncapriata

broad bean purée and chicory

ncarteddrate

honey-covered fritters

occhi di Santa Lucia

sweet glazed taralli

oliva

olive

orecchiette

'little ears' of pasta

pagnotta

white bread

Pallone di Gravina

aged Puglian cheese

pane

bread

pane di Altamura

DOP Puglian bread

panzerotti

mini-calzoni

pasticciotti

ricotta cream or custard tarts

peperoncino

chili peppers

percoca

variety of peach

pesce azzurro

sardines, and more

pettine

scallops, or pasta

pezzente

fatty pork sausage

pezzetti

horse meat stew from the Salento

piedi di capra

goat feet (no, not really)

pigna

Easter (or Christmas) cake

pignata

dishes cooked in a terracotta pot

pitta

pita, and some other things, too

pomodoro

tomato

puccia

traditional rolls from Puglia

puddica

Pugliese flatbread

purceddruzzi

Puglian sweet fritters

pèttole

fried dough balls

riccio

sea urchin

sagne

flat pasta

sasanelli

traditional Puglian cookies

scagliozzi

fried slices of polenta

Scamorza

similar to mozzarella

scarcella

Sweet Puglian Easter bread

sciuscelle

carob, sweet or soup

seppia

cuttlefish

soppressata

pressed salami

sponsali

spring onions (scallions)

stracciatella

egg drop soup or ice cream or cheese

strascinati

'drawn-out' pasta

taiedda

mussels baked with potatoes, vegetables and cheese

tegamaccio

fish stew with tomatoes

tiella

a word of many meanings

tocchetti

little bits

torcinelli

lamb's sweetbreads

tortiera

casserole... or pie pan

troccoli

square strands of pasta

tubetti

tubular pasta

turcinieddri

organ meat sausage

uva

grape

vincotto

similar to balsamic vinegar

zampina

pork sausage

zeppole

'St Joseph's pastries'

Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls