Experiencing Puglia

This weekend we were able to travel around Puglia and I wanted to share with you the places that we went! I split this blog post from the Michelin star one, but everything was done in the same weekend. That experience was one that stood alone, therefore that is why it is not included in this, but once you read this one, move to that one!!
For each post, I will tell you a fun fact about the history of the city.

Ostuni 

This city is known as "the white city" because a lot of the city is made out of limestone. It is absolutely gorgeous, built on hills, standing high above the water. 

Ostuni has been inhabited since the Stone Age, originally established by the Messapii, but was then destroyed in the Punic Wars. 

 We dined at a restaurant that looked like it was built into a cave. The food was a prefix menu with a taste of Ostuni in each course. This restaurant focused on locality, something I absolutely love. I got both fish options because we were right on the water and it was absolutely delicious.

 On this plate, my favorite tasting was the cold farro salad with artichokes, pepper, corn, and peas. It had a very fresh, simple taste that was out of this world. 

 Orecchiette with mussels and octopus

I liked the flavor of the sauce and the handmade orecchiette pasta. If I was to do something different, I would have cooked the mussels for less time and they were not very clean, having some "beards" in a few bites.  

 Grilled sea bream 

The best whole fish I have ever had! The flavor was simple and the fish was the main flavor. It was cooked to perfection with a crispy skin and flaky inside. 

For dessert, a chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream

Not the star of the show, but enjoyable 

Martina Franca 

Martina Franca was a very simple place, with a lot of fields, farms, and animals. We stayed at an Airbnb on a farm in a Trullo, which was a great experience. 

A Trullo is a traditional Puglian dry stone hut with a cone roof. The style comes from the Itria Calley and was generally made as temporary field shelters or permanent dwellings for small families. 

The Airbnb owner took us on a tour of her land, where there is a 109-year-old Trullo that her grandparents used to live in with their 10 children. 

 She also had beautiful horses! 

Otranto 

We made a pit stop on the way home on the coast that was amazing. The water was extremely blue and the buildings were so pretty. Unfortunately, there were no restaurants open as it is the winter months, but we still got some great pictures! 

Otranto is a town with Greek origin, which in the wats of Pyrrhus and Hannibal, they sided against Rome. It is the nearest port to the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. 

All and all, it was a great travel weekend! Now this week, we finish Northern Italian cooking and have our first lunch serving people we have invited. Stay tuned for the course and plating my team creates! 

With love, 

Baylee