Our Southern roots

A collection of links inspired by our Southern roots: you’ll find something to cook, something to listen to, and something to read.

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My name is Giulia Scarpaleggia. My surname has always been difficult to spell and remember also for my classmates and professors, or random people met at public offices, because it is not a typical Tuscan surname: Poli (my mum’s surname) and Peri (my paternal grandmother’s surname) are much more common here.

I owe nonno Biagio my baroque surname.

Biagio Scarpaleggia moved to Tuscany from Melfi, a hilltop town in Basilicata, in the 1950’s, met my grandmother Marcella, and started a family here. I also owe him and the rest of the Southern branch of my family, especially to Aunt Teresa, my love for dried oregano, peppers, semolina bread, and for a simple, peasant cuisine based mainly on vegetables and pantry staples (a powerful inspiration for Cucina Povera).

My love for Southern Italian food, traditions, and ingredients increased and found a new reason to thrive when I met Tommaso.

My mother-in-law was from Salento, the heel of the Italian boot, a land of generous people and incredible food. I fell head over heels for this land of sun, sea, and wind, for the local breakfast made with cream-filled pasticciotti and almond-scented caffè in ghiaccio, for the taralli and olive-studded bread, for the homemade orecchiette with tomato sauce and fermented ricotta.

Tommaso was born in Florence, but spent every summer in Salento with his nonna, aunt and uncle, developing a deep attachment to Porto Cesareo, its rhythms and traditions, and for the ever present rustici, too.

Lucia, my mother in law, left us in 2020, and since then I’ve been cooking my way through some of her signature recipes from Salento to keep her food traditions alive for Tommaso and to build a new family repertoire, a way of creating memories for Livia about her nonna.

The reason I’m writing about our Southern roots is that we’re taking a break from classes (and hopefully from the seasonal bugs and the nasty cough that has been with me for more than a month).

Tomorrow we will be traveling to Lecce with a night train, our first train adventure with Livia.

Lecce is the baroque capital of Salento: noble, white, the city of blinding light. Tommaso’s uncle and aunt live here, so this is always our first stop when we visit: for the first time, though, we’ll remain in the city, without further traveling to the coast to Porto Cesareo. We can’t wait to wander in its city centre and explore the baroque churches, noble buildings, large squares, and many, many shops. And to have many breakfast with iced coffee and pasticciotti.

So I’m leaving you with a collection of links inspired by our Southern roots: you’ll find something to cook, something to listen to, and something to read.

Where are your family roots or your food tradition roots?

Southern recipes

Something to cook

Recipes from Basilicata

• Calzoncelli - Chocolate and almond cookies from Basilicata

• Onion Strudel. My aunt makes a focaccia with these onions, but I like to make a strudel with this sweet, sticky filling.

• Potato and artichoke gratin

Recipes from Puglia

• Pittule Salentine, fried dough balls from Salento (paywalled recipe)

• Artichoke bread pudding from Salento

• Orecchiette con le cime di rapa from Puglia (paywalled recipe)

• Rustici, a street food from Salento, Puglia

Plus, if you've bought Cucina Povera or are planning to order it, here are some of the recipes with a southern flavour: orecchiette with broccoli rabe (p 35), bread-and-anchovy-stuffed sweet green peppers (p. 48), summer vegetable stew (p. 54), mussel, potato, and rice gratin (p. 128), bitter greens and semolina bread soup (p. 249).

Something to listen to

While we were in Salento to visit Tommaso’s family, I was continuously texting my friend Nina Gigante to have advice on where to go, shop, and, guess what, eat. Thanks to her tips we discovered my favourite brioche in Salento.

So we decided to record a podcast episode. In the following conversation, you’ll hear us talking about what is home for Nina, what she likes about Mediterranean cuisine, and what to see, where to eat, and what to buy in Lecce. Nina will also give us a tip to visit a less known turquoise lake surrounded by a Martian landscape right there, in Salento.

2x04 - Life in Salento: in conversation with Nina Gigante

Something to read

Food of the Italian South, by Katie Parla. In this book I found the forgotten flavours of my holidays in Basilicata with my grandparents when we would visit my nonno’s family: a day-long train ride, followed by the warmest welcome made of caciocavallo, scamorza, semolina bread, stuffed peppers, and iced taralli. This is an invaluable cookbook that brings to life lesser known areas of Italy, their bold flavours, ingredients, and dishes.

Last but not least, a foodie guide

A couple of years ago, we started working a foodie guide about Lecce and Matera. Now we will be adding new favourites to the Lecce guide.

Salento and Matera, our foodie guide

Cooking Experience in Tuscany with us

Slow down and be ready to live a day as a local: hearty homemade food is included. Every meal will be an excuse to travel through Tuscany thanks to local recipes, memories and stories. Learn more about our cooking classes here.

Next available openings:

• Wednesday, May 17th - Market to Table Cooking Class - 2 spots available

• Wednesday, June 7th - Market to Table Cooking Class - 2 spots available

• Thursday, June 8th - Tuscan Cooking Class - 6 spots available

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