Would you like to discover Puglia through unforgettable Italian food tasting tours? In our Puglia tours, we have carried out a painstaking research of the best production spots which boast the best culinary delights. So you can witness ancient and handcrafted food-making stages and feel the emotion of tasting a product where it is born. We will lead through vineyards, olive trees, ancient mills and “masserie” where farm-to-table produce is gathered, sun-dried or hand processed to reach organic specialties. Or you could wander through the secret recipes of gelato, Apulian bread and cheese. Well, fellow foodies & wine lovers: are you ready? 1# DOP Apulian Bread from Altamura Pane di Altamura (Protected Designation of OriginI) is a traditional Apulian bread which is made of semolina durum wheat, in the region of Altamura, in the province of Bari. The secret ingredients of the best bread in the world? Fine-ground semolina durum wheat strictly from Alta Murgia, mixed with natural yeast, lukewarm water and marine salt. The dough is left for two hours to rest under a cotton cloth and then worked by the deft hands and then left to rise for another hour. The cross which is cut in the dough is the “trademark” of this bread. But where does it come from? Over centuries, in the typical agricultural society in Altamura, each family has been preparing a large dough of bread at home, which would be taken to the public oven “forno pubblico”, where every bread was cooked. In order to avoid bustle and crowd, the baker would mark every piece of bread with the name of the owner, before putting it in the oven. The families were then called with their names in the little small villages of Altamura, where bread olive oil and water was the main “poor” diet at the times! During our Puglia tours you can re-live this tradition! 2# Handmade and Artisan Gelato Italy is world-famous for its hand-made gelato. But where can you taste the best artisan gelato ever? In Puglia ice cream is an ancient tradition especially in Polignano, thanks to Knight Giuseppe Campanella, an almond seller who started out this little shop in Polignano. He dedicated himself to mix secret ingredients from all his trips, all over the world, bringing to light special and authentic aromas. He liked blending different flavors and dare every day more. We are speaking of 1840 and since then, handmade gelato (link Puglia culinary tours) has thrived in the streets of Polignano. Here you can taste everything with ice cream: gelato cake, gelato bowl rich in coffee, cream, chocolate, almonds and sour black cherry. In our Puglia tours, you can enter the workshop and witness this art of making gelato, traveling through the world aromas while staying in this little workshop in the maze of alleys of the wonderful and picturesque village of Polignano. 3# Farm-to-table experience in Masseria The best way to eat vegetables and fruit is to gather them at their peak ripeness, when they are full of flavor and packed with nutrients. Farmers have known this in Puglia for generations. They have masterly developed a technique that keeps the flavor of a perfectly ripe vegetable all year long. This method, known as “sott’olio” meaning “under the oil”, preserves some of the most delicate vegetables – artichokes, mushrooms, asparagus, olives – in extra virgin olive oil. Another farm-to-table delicacy you have to taste are organic jams: an explosion of tastes and natural flavors entailed in little pots and jars. Another production which takes place only in this farmstead with orchards: fruit is harvested the day when the jam is prepared. All the process is entirely handmade. Nothing artificial, every fruit is cultivated in the orchard under the Apulian sun. All farm-to-table products are the fruit of an inborn love for this land: a direct legacy with the tradition and handcrafted processes, a philosophy that aims at promoting organic and natural products. 4# Burrata and Apulian dairy production Burrata is a typical dairy production of Puglia made of raw cow's milk. Its shape recalls a little sack of cheese spun, that entails a heart of frayed mozzarella, blended with fresh cream. The name Burrata hints at the taste of the buttery melting heart, which is capable of winning over every palate. But Burrata doesn’t contain butter! The experience in Masseria will take you to the symbol of Puglia: the dairy farming and production. Here you’ll learn how Burrata is produced. The cheese master will reveal step by step all the secret stages. At the end you can taste these dairy products together with cold cuts of the region such as Capocollo (seasoned, cured, and thinly-sliced cold cut of pork taken from the neck or shoulder), baked products accompanied by Apulian wines. Alla Salute! 5# Orecchiette cooking class Orecchiette are a local type of hand-made pasta, whose shape recalls approximately small ears. They’re strictly handmade by Apulian women, and their size, about 3/4 of a thumb's finger, derives from the thumb movement on the table. They look like a small dome indeed, with a thinner center and the rough edge. Thanks to the drying and conservation of this type of durum wheat pasta they became the foundation of Apulian diet: they are served with turnip tops, broccoli, other vegetables and meat sauce. In the past, the rural version was orecchiete with bread crumbs (meddic'l in local dialect). You can travel through time and discover this tradition during our orecchiette workshop, where you’ll listen to old stories and anecdotes and follow the traditional recipe: water, flour and board. Who can do the best orecchiette? Apulian grandmas will share with you their passion and patience! Well, fellow foodies: what’s your Apulian favorite delicacy? GET INSPIRED BY OUR PUGLIA TOURS