This innovative new travel and food guide helps you to get to know and appreciate Puglia through its food and the people who produce it. It offers a fresh approach to the enjoyment of the heel of Italy, bringing together interviews, profiles and stunning photography.
With compelling inside stories on the people behind the food along with original recipes from the chefs themselves - many never before published - this beautifully illustrated book offers a real insight into some of the best eating and drinking establishments in the region. They range from the stylish and sophisticated to the fun and frivolous, but they all have one thing in common: a genuine appetite for the best that Puglia can offer.
Quotes from the book...
"Eating out in Puglia 15 years ago was very different. Restaurateurs didn't believe in their territorio because if you ate from the territorio you were transported to the past and that meant poverty. That's completely changed now."
PIETRO ZITO
"The Pugliesi don't want to lose their culinary traditions; we'll do all we can to hold on tightly."
ANNA PERRONE
Softback (220mm x 200mm)
240pp
16 towns
22 restaurants
44 recipes
5 regional specialities
17 maps (of region and towns)
275 colour photographs
240 pages
Certainly, if the warm welcome is one of the most appealing aspects of visiting Italy, the people in Puglia do all that they can to make theirs reach the temperature of the hottest Mezzogiorno summer days. And that's pretty warm.
An Appetite for Puglia contains a series of portraits of the most interesting characters behind some of the best food in Puglia. But that is not to say that they have all been cut from the same template. There are upmarket restaurants such as L'Osteria Già Sotto L'Arco in Carovigno alongside the casual Antichi Sapori in Montegrosso. There are shining beacons of traditional cooking such as Cucina Casereccia in Lecce, while others, like Al Fornello da Ricci in Ceglie Messapica, judiciously select from outside influences to move their traditions forward. Peppe Zullo in his eponymous restaurant in Orsara di Puglia produces most of his raw ingredients, whereas others, including Antonello Magistà at Pashà in Conversano, are diligent about sourcing from the best producers in their area.
Some places are modern and stylish, like Miseriaenobiltà in Alberobello, while others are more traditional, like Torrente Antico in Trani or De la Poste, Locanda in Andria. Nor did everyone in the book always work with food: Beppe Schino of PerBacco in Bari was previously an architect, Aldo Massimo in Foggia a radiographer and Anna Ancona of Il Ritrovo degli Amici in Martina Franca a designer.
From the heights of the Gargano and Monte Sant'Angelo to coastal towns like Gallipoli, from the international and cosmopolitan port of Bari to the beautiful small fishing harbour of Trani, from the tourist magnets of Alberobello and Lecce to the lower profile places such as Conversano and Orsara di Puglia, it's a large, long and varied region. An Appetite for Puglia features not only all of these, but the port of Brindisi, the provincial capital Foggia and Martina Franca in the Valle d'Itria among others.
Have you ever read about a restaurant, been excited about eating there, but on arriving in town, been unable to find it? An Appetite for Puglia not only provides you with clear, simple maps, but personalised directions, so that you can enjoy a wander around town, easily locate where you'll eat and only worry about whether you'd rather start with a seasonal vegetable antipasto or take the chef's advice - who you'll feel you already know.
The Pugliesi don't just want you to eat up, they want you to savour their territorio. And they'll keep on feeding you with an eagerness bordering on the fanatical. It's a region that does not scrimp on portion size. Its renowned antipasti platters comprise serious quantities of food - and that's just the beginning. Could it be the sea air? Who knows, but they have healthy appetites down south.
All of the people in the book have an enthusiasm and commitment - and a very Pugliesi hint of the playful - that makes them notable examples of the region's love of food and hospitality. We hope you find their stories and recipes enjoyable and inspiring.
Puglia is known as the orto, or vegetable garden, of Italy. It's easy to see why. Its relative flatness, good soil and climate make it ideal for cultivation, and wheat, vegetables, fruits and nuts thrive. We take a brief look at a number of family businesses including wine, cheese, organic farming and fishing.
An Appetite for Puglia includes 44 recipes from the featured restaurants, with a photo of each. These range from the simple (Broad Bean and Cacioricotta Salad with Mint; Oven Baked Lamb with New Potatoes; Pears in Red Wine) to the more elaborate (Triangular Mushroom Ravioli in a Walnut Sauce; Stuffed Courgette Flowers with Sautéed Squid; Cream and Almond Fig Meringue Pie). All are representative of the food served in their respective restaurants and are accompanied by a suggestion for at least one suitable wine.
"The first thing we Italians do is to eat well at home. All Italian mothers are great cooks, and why? Because they know how to shop well. Good fresh produce is the basis of all great food. I never go to the market knowing what I'm going to buy. I buy what I fall in love with."
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