Puglia: Orecchiette, Olive Oil and the Soul of Southern Italy

The Heel of Italy

Puglia — the region that forms the heel of Italy's boot — is perhaps the most agricultural region in the country. Its rolling plains of durum wheat, its ancient olive groves and its long coastline have shaped a cuisine of remarkable simplicity and depth.

This is the Italy of masseria farmsteads, of white-washed towns and of a pasta tradition that stretches back centuries.

Orecchiette: The Pasta of Puglia

Orecchiette — meaning little ears — is the signature pasta of Puglia. Made by hand, each piece is pressed against the thumb or the flat of a knife to create a small, round disc with a rough, cupped surface.

The shape is not decorative. The cupped interior holds sauce; the rough exterior grips it. Orecchiette is a pasta engineered by centuries of peasant cooking to make the most of whatever ingredients were available.

The most classic pairing is orecchiette con cime di rapa — orecchiette with turnip tops, garlic, chilli and anchovy. It is a dish of extraordinary economy: a handful of bitter greens, a little oil, a pinch of chilli and a perfectly shaped pasta. It is one of the great dishes of Italian cooking.

The Durum Wheat Plains

Puglia produces more durum wheat than any other Italian region. The vast plains of the Tavoliere — the second largest plain in Italy — have been grain-producing since Roman times.

Durum wheat is the foundation of southern Italian pasta. Its high protein content and golden colour produce a pasta that is firm, flavourful and able to hold its shape during cooking.

Ancient Olive Groves

Puglia has more olive trees than any other region — an estimated 60 million, some of them thousands of years old. The olive oil of Puglia is fundamental to its cooking: fruity, peppery and used generously.

In Puglian cooking, olive oil is not a finishing touch — it is a cooking medium, a flavour base and a sauce in its own right. The quality of the oil determines the quality of the dish.

A Cuisine of Economy and Skill

What makes Puglian food remarkable is not luxury ingredients but skill applied to simple ones. A plate of orecchiette with turnip tops is a masterclass in balance — bitter, salty, spicy, oily — achieved with almost nothing.

This is the spirit we carry into our own pasta making: respect the ingredient, master the technique and let simplicity do the work.