Inside a Pugliese Tarallificio

Taralli con lo zucchero
Preparing Scaldatelli
Boiling and Baking Scaldatelli

Dolciaria Monti is a family-run tarallificio, like most small businesses in Italy are. Their products are mainly consumed locally but they ship about 30% to other parts of Italy. Nepotism is something that is usually criticized but when it’s seen from a different point of [...]

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Did you figure out what those sugar-coated delights were? Hopefully the hint of Puglia gave you an indication.
I am lucky to spend a lot of time in Puglia, and I love sharing what I see there: going inside a breadmaker’s, going to a festival celebrating mozzarella, an army of orecchiette, or learning how to [...]

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I’ve infiltrated one of my favorites places in Puglia to share another behind the scenes look next week.
Anyone have a guess where I went? Or what’s in the photo?

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Barbecuing in Italy I have found to be less concentrated on the food and marinades, and more about staying outside and being together while eating fresh, simple food.
Some ingredients for a perfect barbecue in Italy:
Plenty of pane e pomodoro, bread and tomatoes, the most addictive form of crack that I know of. Start with fresh [...]

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Way back in December, while driving around Gargano, Puglia, and after we made a stop in Ischitella to pick up those delicious Marzipan fruit, we stopped in on some of S’ relatives, naturally unannounced.
And what a sight I beheld!
His cousin was busy at work, making an army of orecchiette all by herself. Orecchiette, or [...]

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