PUGLIA - my new book

A cooking journey through a land and its unique ingredients

On Sunday, August 4, 2024, I woke up early as usual. I opened the windows of my house and scanned the sky: despite the early morning hour, the colors already foreshadowed a scorching day, one where everyone would flock to the sea. That’s why I decided to stay home, enjoying the tranquility and silence after an intense week of cooking classes and food tours.

As I sipped my tea in the living room, watching the light filter through the window overlooking the small square in front of my home in Polignano a Mare, I realized for the first time that what I was missing was a place to write. A space where the light was just right, a thinking room where I could gather my thoughts and transform them into creations.

So, I decided to revolutionize my living room setup to create that little corner I needed: a room of my own. The desk caught the perfect light, inviting me to sit, magnetically drawing me toward the keyboard resting on it. Almost without thinking, within minutes, I was already writing the first pages of my new book.

For days - perhaps months - questions from the guests my food tours had been echoing in my mind: How do I choose a good extra virgin olive oil? Here in Puglia, you have so many tomatoes; which ones should I pick for a salad and which for sauce? Do I always need to add eggs when making fresh pasta? What does DOCG mean on a wine label?

In my masterclasses and cooking courses, I am always generous with explanations. As we cook or taste, I talk about Apulian ingredients - where they come from, their seasonality, how we use them, and how to recognize quality. But time is always limited, and I wish those conversations could go on for hours. I wanted my guests to have the opportunity to continue exploring Apulian gastronomy, perhaps through a book. There are many books on the history, traditions, and richness of Apulian cuisine, but they are all in Italian. There are many books in English about Apulian cuisine, but most are recipe books. To answer my guests' questions and fulfill their desire to learn more, I had to write one myself.

A guide to the gastronomic culture of my region—so rich, so diverse from one province to another. A book about raw ingredients, not a recipe book. Because before stepping into the kitchen, ingredients deserve the attention they are due: a recipe is just the final step of a process. I wanted to start from the foundations, from the raw materials.

Starting today - April 2, 2025 - my book, "PUGLIA - A cooking journey through a land and its unique ingredients / Storie di ingredienti, cucina e territorio," published by ziczic edizioni, is available.

This is a book about the ingredients of my region, about the agricultural, cultural, geographical, historical, and anthropological pillars that support the architecture of a dish.

You will find extra-virgin olive oil—the vital lifeblood that runs along the backbone of my region. I will tell you about the most distinctive oils of Puglia, how to buy them, recognize them, and pair them. In the chapter on semolina—the golden sand that makes up our pasta and our fragrant, flavorful bread—I will tell the story of a single grain of durum wheat and how it is shaped by the hardworking hands of our bakers and pasta makers.

The wines: an ancient story made of sun and limestone, of deep, robust, and inky red musts, of aromatic and delicate whites, of lively and festive rosés that invite you to indulge in another glass.

In my effort to catalog and narrate biodiversity, I walked through farmers' markets and wandered the countryside, letting farmers point out the local varieties of vegetables and fruits. In a region so diverse, one plot of land is different from another, a microclimate produces entirely different vegetables. What grows in Mola di Bari does not grow in Carpino.

Spending time with elderly foragers and strolling through the Murgia with them, I encountered the wild herbs that have been part of my cuisine—and that of farmers and shepherds—for centuries. Humble plants that risk being trampled but grow instead with resilience and adaptability.

Following the scent of milk from Altamura sheep and Podolica cows of the Gargano, I traced a minimal geography of Apulian cheeses. I wrote about coagulations, acidifications, and animal aromas, where stretched-curd cheeses reign supreme. Skilled hands work the cheese, plunging it into boiling water, transforming it into juicy, stringy morsels.

There are so many topics to explore, and to help you navigate them, I created maps - geographic, of oils, of wines - so you can scroll through Puglia with a fingertip and anchor each product to a specific territorial context. You will also find guides to quality labels and certifications - an essential reference when shopping for authentic products with a long-standing tradition.

I have also included insights into agro-architecture and rural architecture—stories of dry-stone walls, and masserie standing majestically among ancient olive groves and historic sheep migration routes.

In the book “South and Magic”, anthropologist Ernesto De Martino describes Southern Italy as a land suspended "between blessed water and salted water," where Catholicism intertwines with an ancestral pagan substratum, and the agricultural calendar merges with the religious one.

These words ignited in me the desire to write an emotional almanac of Puglia—a narrative weaving together the collective rituals, both religious and secular, that mark the passage of the seasons.

The “salsa di comunità” (community sauce) - that perfectly orchestrated magic that brings families and neighbors together to transform kilos and kilos of tomatoes into bottles of preserves for the winter.

The beach lunch in Puglia: focaccia eaten n’gann’a mare (by the sea), eggplant parmigiana, and baked pasta, a collective ritual under striped umbrellas and plastic chairs.

The patronal festivals, wrapped in the smoke of roasting meat and the sounds of the town’s brass band; the olive harvest with the first cold winds, repeating gestures that have remained unchanged over time; Christmas in Bari, between squares of fried polenta (sgagliozze) and raw seafood; the winter bonfires that warm the dark January nights, bringing good omens for the new agricultural year.

In this narrative, the hands of Giuseppe Laselva have created evocative illustrations, transporting you through my storytelling, allowing you to see Puglia through my eyes.

Are there recipes? Yes, but just a few, carefully selected—the ones my readers have been asking for over and over, the ones I wanted to include. A small recipe collection, at the end of the book. Because this time, they are not the main focus. We will get there, maybe in the next book. :)

Since August, I have consistently returned to that desk, dedicating every free moment to this project—stealing minutes and hours from my days and nights—to weave together the threads of a story and offer it to you.

I hope you will love it as much as I do.

Where can you find it?

This is a book made in Polignano, co-produced with a small local independent publishing house: Ziczic Edizioni. More than a book, it is a handcrafted piece, lovingly stitched by hand, with its heart beating in the town of Polignano.

It was primarily designed for the guests of my tours and cooking classes, to extend our conversation beyond our time together. You can purchase it directly from me—before or after one of my food experiences—or order it online from my e-shop, and I will ship it anywhere in Italy.

We are currently working on selecting a list of bookstores across Italy that will carry it. I will update the list with their details soon.

More info: https://spaghettiabc.com/puglia-thebook/

Order: https://flavia-giordano.sumupstore.com/product/puglia-the-book

Bundle offer for the clients of my food tours and cooking classes.

BOOK DETAILS

📖 Title: PUGLIA – A cooking journey through a land and its unique ingredients / Storie di ingredienti, cucina e territorio.

✍️ Author: Flavia Giordano

🗣 Languages: Italian & English

📏 Size: 16.5 x 22.4 cm

📄 Pages: 272, full color

🏡 Publisher: ziczic Edizioni

🎨 Illustrations: Giuseppe Laselva