Bread "Puccia Salentina"

The puccia salentina is a typical bread from Salento that we like to call gourmet — but its origins are anything but: it is street food. It was invented by the Roman legionaries, who needed a food that was ready to eat, tasty and slow to spoil while on the march.

It is a story shared by many Puglian specialities, like the frisa from Salento, created by farmers to be softened with a little water and seasoned to taste. The puccia is the authentic, down-to-earth alternative to fast food — genuine, local and complete.

Never fill the puccia cold: heating it is the essential step. With heat the puccia puffs up spectacularly, turns fragrant and, if you add cheese, it melts beautifully.

Puglian food tradition points in one clear direction: grilled vegetables, vegetables in oil and local specialities. Around Lecce and in the province of Taranto there are real puccerie, where the puccia is filled on the spot with Puglian vegetables. Of course, you are free to use any filling you like.

Not in the mood to cook but want to impress your guests? Host a puccia party. Heat the pucce, set out small bowls of different fillings in the centre of the table — cured meats, vegetables in oil, cheese, fresh produce — and let everyone build their own combination.

A perfect idea after a holiday in Puglia or Salento, to bring a little of Puglia to your table. Each pack contains 2 pucce: buy more than one so you always have some in reserve.

They are two completely different things. In Salento the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is deeply felt: on the eve, 7 December, people fast and at lunchtime they eat the so-called puccia dell'Immacolata, which has nothing to do with the bread on this page.

The puccia salentina (this one) has a crumb-free dough similar to pizza, natural leavening and stone baking, and is filled with typical Puglian products. The puccia dell'Immacolata is a soft bread full of crumb, made with a completely different dough and filled with tuna, Swiss cheese and anchovy: it is typical of Gallipoli and Salento, and in some areas it is also called «buffetto».

The recipe for puccia salentina has been handed down from generation to generation, jealously guarded by Salento families. The secret lies in the crumb-free dough, which gives it its characteristic fragrant crust. Recipes vary slightly from family to family, but all keep the essence of this unique dish.

Whether put together quickly for a lunch on the go or lovingly prepared for a dinner with friends, the puccia is an icon of Puglian cuisine — an authentic way to bring the flavours of Salento to your table, wherever you are.

Bring a piece of Salento to your table

Natural leavening, stone baking, top-quality ingredients. Each pack contains 2 pucce of 115 g: buy more than one so you never run out.