6 foods to try when you’re in Salento
Ahhh… street food. The whole world seems to be in love with the grab and go (and enjoy!) qualities of street food, from the hot dog street vendors in Chicago to the chicken satay of Bangkok, Parisian crepes, and the tacos al pastor of Mexico City. Italy is world-famous for one of the most popular street food options — pizza, of course! Sure, you can still grab pizza by the slice as you walk through the city, but In Lecce, you’ll find a world of street food that goes well beyond the pizza al taglio. Street food in Lecce is so rich and tempting that you might just skip the local trattorie and traditional sit-down restaurants for the duration of your trip. You’ll find it all over the city center but here’s what to look for:
Rustico
If you try nothing else while you’re in Lecce and the Salento, this is it. Golden, toasty circles of puff pastry hide a gooey tomato-cheese-beschamel center. This savory, flakey pie is ubiquitous in Salento and any coffee shop you enter will have the rustico in their pastry case.
Breakfast is an afterthought in much of Italy, sometimes only a coffee before heading out the door. So, when 10 am rolls around, people start get peckish. The mid-morning trip to the coffee shop to get a rustico is de-rigueur.
Tip: For the very best rustico, stop at a pastry shop or rosticceria around 10 am when they start coming out of the oven, piping hot and ready for the mid-morning rush.
Puccia
The puccia is a regional type of sandwich made with a flat, round bread that is stuffed with a variety of fillings — think roasted vegetables, sliced meats, leafy greens, pickled artichokes, dried tomatoes… really, your imagination is the limit (and what the shop has on hand that day). Some places, like L’angolino di via Matteotti and L’angolo della Puccia, offer traditional fillings like cavallo alla pignata, or local bitter greens cooked until they are mild and meltingly tender.
There’s no wrong way to build a puccia. Optional, but highly recommended, is warming up the puccia in the sandwich grill. The flavors marry and, if you add cheese to your creation, melt together. It will change your feelings about your everyday sandwich forever.
Tip: For a really great puccia experience, go to “I panini di sergio” near Porta Napoli. Sergio, the proprietor, will guide you through building the perfect puccia to suit your mood. There is a menu, but it’s more for inspiration. Here, building a puccia a creative pursuit and Sergio and his wife are amazingly friendly and welcoming.
Need to learn more about these? Get more information about Puccia Leccese
Piadina
Piadina isn’t a regional food of Salento, it’s actually from the Romagna region. But in Lecce, they pair the concept of a piadina (flatbread stuffed with… stuff) with regional ingredients from Salento. They use olive oil in place of the traditional lard to make the bread and stuff it with vegetables and other fillings typical of the region. The thin dough is rolled out and grilled on the spot, filled with whatever you like, and folded over into a half-circle of epicurean delight.
Go to the award winning Piadina Salentina right in Piazza St. Oronzo and walk out with a substantial piadina for as little as 2 euro. Build your own or pick from a long list of suggestions… or go for the special of the day. They’ll cook it up while you watch and hand you a paper-wrapped half-moon to carry out of the shop and eat on the benches outside. Or find a spot on the steps outside the church next door and watch the bustling piazza while you eat.
Pizzo
NOT pizza… it’s not a typo; it’s actually spelled with an ‘O’. Pizzo is a totally different food. I am tempted, probably blasphemously, to say these are like savory scones. A food purist would probably gasp in horror and clutch their metaphoric pearls, while quickly correcting me. The longer — and more accurate — description would be that they are savory breads, traditionally flavored with tomato and onion, and studded with cured olives. Great for an aperitivo or a snack at any hour of the day.
Tip: Careful when eating these. The olives often still contain pits, which can be an unpleasant surprise if you are not prepared for it.
Calzone
These are well-known outside of Salento, and are found all over southern Italy and have been spread across the world. Pizza dough is rolled out, filled with a variety of cheese and tomato sauce, and sometimes meat. The rounds are folded over and fried. You can get a baked version as well, but the traditional fried calzones are worth the caloric splurge. Find them at pretty much any coffee shop, but seeking out a place that describes itself as a rosticceria is your best bet for the freshest calzone.
Nerd Aside: Farther north in Pulgia and Basilicata, they are called “panzerotti.” In Salento, as well as southern Calabria and Sicily, they are called “calzoni”, a nod to the historical cultural links of these regions.
Frisa
Frisa… frisella… friseddhra …. It goes by many names but whatever the name the result is the same — a most simple, delicious, and — don’t let this deter you — healthy street food you’ll find in Lecce. It is a humble dish, based on the rock-hard, dried bagel-like bread for which it is named. (I know, I know, but stay with me here.) It’s not stale, it’s baked twice so that it keeps longer than regular bread. Before it is served, it is dipped in water to soften it, and then topped with the freshest ingredients found in Puglia. The classic is the simple topping of chopped tomatoes, oregano, and olive oil, but the sky is the limit. Like the puccia, it can be made many ways, but it boils down to the integrity of the ingredients. Simple food requires highest-quality raw materials. It is truly a revelation what can be made from good ingredients and the Salento is masterful in elevating them to the point that may bring tears to you eyes.
You’ll see frisa on the menu of a lot of different informal eateries in Lecce. Look for “km 0” on the sign, meaning the ingredients are locally sourced. Or, if you have a simple kitchen, it is easy to build your own! Frisa are easy to find in grocery stores and embarrassingly inexpensive. You can top them however you like — tuna, arugula, tomatoes, cooked greens, and ALWAYS olive oil. Let your inner chef loose and cultivate your culinary intuition.
Tip: Frisa (the actual dried breads) are made with wheat, barley, or a combination. Barley (orzo, in Italian) is the more traditional variety and the one recommended by the locals — not only for its flavor, but for its health benefits.