Almond paste lamb is the traditional sweet all local families have for the Easter festivities in Puglia.

This sweet is made only twice a year: in the shape of fish at Christmas, and in the shape of lamb at Easter.

The difference between our Puglia almond paste and the Sicilian marzipan is that the almond paste is raw, while the marzipan is cooked.

The best almond paste lambs are made by the nuns from Lecce. So if you are in Puglia for the Easter festivities you should not miss to taste it.

The best quality ones have very little sugar and the almond paste is made of very good quality almonds (locals from Puglia, of course!).

The almond paste lamb is filled with quince jam (very traditional in Puglia) and sometimes with faldacchiera (egg yolks and sugar).

The almond paste is made of almonds, very little sugar and is kneaded with a local liquor.

This is the perfect sweet for those who love almonds.

Happy Easter and Buona Pasqua from Lecce Puglia!

The famous book about Italian pasta by Stefan Maiwald dedicates a whole chapter to the two sisters’ Cooking School in Lecce Italy.

If you are in Italy this coming weekend you should celebrate the new Primavera Spring visiting one of the 700 beautiful monuments, castles, churches, palaces and parks around Italy which, usually closed, will be exclusively open to visitors on March 23-24.

This event is organized by the FAI, il Fondo Ambiente Italiano, which raises funds to preserve, restore and manage some of the most beautiful places Italy has.

For a full list of all places open in Italy please check out the FAI website and click on the region you are interested in. The website is in Italian but it is easy to get the name of the monuments.

ROME – ROMA

Indirizzo: Piazza Capo di Ferro, 13, 00186, Roma, ROMA

TIVOLI

Indirizzo: Largo Sant’Angelo, 1, 00019, Tivoli, ROMA

VENICE – VENEZIA

Indirizzo: Santa Croce 2215 – Calle de Ca’ Corner, 30100, Venezia, VENICE

FLORENCE – FIRENZE

Indirizzo: Piazza San Pancrazio, 2, 50123, Firenze, FLORENCE

Indirizzo: Costa San Giorgio, 2, 50125, Firenze, FLORENCE

Indirizzo: Via della Petraia, 38, 50141, Firenze, FLORENCE

PUGLIA

For travellers to Puglia you should not miss these places in the Lecce area:

ABBAZIA SANTA MARIA DI CERRATE – BENE FAI

Address: S.p. Squinzano – Casalabate, 73100, Cerrate, LECCE

Address: Via dei Mesagnesi, 73100, Lecce, LECCE

Address: Piazza s. Francesco, 27, 73010, Lequile, LECCE

For more information about places which are open in Puglia please check this page

And of course please let us know if you are around in Puglia in the next weeks. We will be delighted to have you in one of our cooking classes, wine tours, olive oil tasting classes.

To celebrate Saint Joseph day, in Puglia we eat Zeppole. They are delicious and ….huge pastries, which you can only find in March. Therefore if you are in Puglia and you miss them….you’ll have to come back next year!

I have always loved Saint Joseph day. March 19th is my father’s name day (his name is Giuseppe or Joseph) and is also Father’s day in Italy. So lots of things to celebrate today!! We have always had a big family lunch….and in the afternoon lots of friends come celebrate my father, bringing big trays with huge zeppole pastries. And when I say huge….I mean it!

Because of their size, it is always very tricky to eat zeppole without getting some lemon cream all over the face!

Zeppole are made of a baked or deep fried dough, topped with lemon custard and chocolate creams. Usually they are 2.1 inches in diameter! You can also find a smaller version, but given that they are only made once per year, you’d rather have the huge ones!

Do you celebrate Saint Joseph day? what do you do?

The article in the Wall Street Journal clearly explains why the latest results of the massive study conducted on more than 7,000 patients in Spain and published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine are extremely important.

The WSJ  says “Few previous studies have succeeded in proving a direct link between a diet (rich in EVOO, seafood, beans, good grains, vegetables and fruit) and a reduction in life-threatening events like strokes, instead assessing the diet’s impact only on weight loss or certain cardiovascular risk factors, like blood pressure or cholesterol”.

For this post I interviewed Dr. Rascazzo (cardiologist, whose e-book inspired the Stile Mediterraneo Cooking School’s principles).

Based on her experience, she says that this study is really important because it proves that extra virgin olive oil and the Mediterranean diet or “way of eating” have the same preventive effect of taking statins!!
This is important for several reasons:
1) people can do PREVENTION WITH FOOD instead of medicines;
2) statins may have side effects! (EVOO does NOT have any side effect!);
3) by doing prevention (with food) the whole HealthCare System can benefit in terms of reduced public expenditures;
4) the Mediterranean-style way of eating is NOT a DIET to lose weight. It is a style of eating that features TASTY FOOD: people feel WELL and HAPPY instead of getting depressed!

Unfortunately, as the article correctly mentions, today also in the Mediterranean countries we are running the risk of losing the Mediterranean-style way of eating, especially among the new generations.
Recent researches have found that heart diseases have increased also among new generations. This is due to the introduction of “modern” ways of eating which are rich in bad fats and sugars.

At the Stile Mediterranean Cooking School Italy we strongly believe that it is so much better to prevent diseases with food than with medicines.

Stile Mediterraneo’s goal is to promote an “old” way of eating which is simple, tasty…..and healthy …..but AT RISK of being lost.

This is why we wrote the ebook: The Cuisine of Southern Italian Women – Mediterranean Secrets for a Healthy & Happy Life.
With this e-book we want to promote a way of eating which is based on: good fats (EVOO), good proteins (seafood, beans, little meat), good carbs (good grains) and vegetables and fruit. Red meat and sweets are also admitted, but as treats and not the rule.

We want to promote balance and moderation.

We also want to promote an ancient COOKERY METHOD which is about simplicity and does not feature complicated preparations in order to enhance the ingredients’ taste.

We want to highlight the role of Southern Italian Women in handing down this un-written cookery method, which is now UNESCO heritage.

The beauty of the Mediterranean style diet is that this way of eating and cooking can easily be replicated in other countries and cultures: ingredients are easy to find and cookery methods are very simple, not requiring sophisticated cooking techniques.

We hope more and more people adopt this way of eating which is healthful and delicious.

For information about our cooking classes and Cookery School in Italy please contact us.

They are not familiar with the brands, nor can they meaningfully translate the information on the label into helpful knowledge.

So, invariably, their selection is based on price or packaging, or what a famous chef recommends. Regrettably, they do not know what is meant by EXTRA VIRGIN, how to decipher the label, or simply decide if the quality of the oil will be good.

So, as  I am a certified extra virgin olive oil taster I have put together some information, and ten basic rules which will help you to choose the best Extra Virgin Olive Oil (“EVOO”) in the store where you shop.

BENEFITS OF EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL (VS OTHER OILS)

First of all, contrary to other oils, extra virgin olive oil has lots of health benefits, which make it the best fat to be used both raw and for cooking.

It is rich in monounsaturated fats (the good ones!). Many other oils are rich in saturated fats (which are bad for us!).

Lots of medical research has proven that using not more than 4 tbsp of evoo per day can reduce risks of several heart diseases.

Extra virgin olive oil is also rich in antioxidants which help protect cells from damage.

Moreover, EVOO is extracted only by physical means, contrary to many other oils which need chemical solvents to be extracted or to be refined!

Finally, to enhance food’s nutrients and flavors you should never cook at high flame. This means that it’s not really important that the EVOO does not have the highest smoke point  (even though it is already pretty high!).

WHAT DOES “EXTRA VIRGIN” OLIVE OIL MEAN?

When you buy olive oil you should always look for the two MAGIC words EXTRA and VIRGIN on the label.

OLIVE OIL (without those two words), PURE, or LIGHT olive oils mean something completely different (they are refined using chemicals)!

An olive oil which is extra and virgin is a PERFECT olive oil. What makes it perfect is the combination of a low acidity level AND zero defects at the organolectic test conducted by a panel of certified extra virgin olive oil tasters.

To be extra virgin (or perfect) olive oil these things have to happen.

SIGN UP to find out about the meaning of EXTRA VIRGIN  and the 10 RULES  to buy the BEST EVOO!

Low-fat diets did not reach these great results!

CBSNEWS wrote today: “If you want to reap heart-healthy benefits, you may want to go on the Mediterranean diet.  A Spanish study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feb. 25, showed the Mediterranean diet was able to help people who were at high risk for cardiovascular disease more than a low-fat diet. What’s more, subjects who ate a Mediterranean diet heavy in nuts had the largest reduction in stroke risk”. Read more on the CBSNEWS website and watch their very interesting video!

Yesterday, also the New York Times published an article about this study, where Dr. Steven “points out that low-fat diets have not been shown in any rigorous way to be helpful as they are also very hard for patients to maintain”. Read more on the New York Times

Dr. Willett from the Harvard School of Public Healthy pointed out to USA TODAY that the beauty of the “Mediterranean diet is that in addition to offering great variety it also includes healthy fats such as Omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and walnuts” Read more on USA TODAY.

I and Marika are very delighted to know that the Mediterranean diet is getting more and more recognition.

It is not a diet….to lose weight. It is a “way of eating” which is healthy and also very TASTY. It is about EATING HEALTHY & FEELING HAPPY!!!

It is not just about using fresh ingredients and extra virgin olive oil (a GOOD FAT).

It is also about a very peculiar and ancient COOKERY METHOD that is now Unesco heritage and that has never been written down but always handed down from mother to daughter for centuries.

At the Stile Mediterraneo Cooking School Puglia we teach this cookery method and the principles behind the Mediterranean cuisine. We teach to cook ingredients in extra virgin olive oil and in a way that preserves all flavors and nutrients.

Please check out our calendar for information about our Mediterranean Cooking Classes and Culinary & Wine Programs in Puglia Italy.

Marika (who also works as a cardiologist) dedicated her e-book to Southern Italian Women and to their role in preserving this cookery method till today.

In the Southern Italian Women ebook, Marika shares the Mediterranean secrets for a Healthy & Happy life.

Hope to have you here in Italy and enjoy together the wonderful Mediterranean Lifestyle!

We are happy to share an itinerary that could be helpful to travellers coming for a one week / 10-day vacation in Puglia.

First of all, please note that we think the most important reason why you should come to Puglia is its food, olive oil and wines. For sure you will love Puglia, if you love simple, fresh and delicious Italian food and wines. In addition to that, the beauty of Puglia is the fact that in one place you also find beautiful sandy beaches, cleanest sea water, relaxing countryside with millenary olive trees and vineyards, old historic towns with many influences from the Greek, Roman, to the Turkish and Spanish.

We chose our TOP 10 favorite places based on a combination of: local cuisine, wines, beauty of the place, location.

This itinerary may change according to the season you come.

In case of interest, you may join one of our Best of Italy Puglia tours which are a unique chance to visit Puglia with LOCAL EXPERTS and do things that tourists do not normally do.

We can also help you put together cutsomized Self guided tours around Puglia and in other regions in Italy. You may also find it helpful to learn Italian online before coming to Italy or attend our one week Italian language courses.

Day 1: Our number one top location in Puglia is Lecce. We think you should make Lecce as your base for at least four days. Closest airport to Lecce is Brindisi. Lecce has an elegant old town, with beautiful old palazzos and baroque churches. Please read our previous post about Best things to do in Lecce.

Food in Lecce: restaurants in Lecce serve mainly freshly made pasta, vegetables, meat (little seafood as Lecce is not by the sea). Don’t miss the pasticciotto and rustico. Also the famous orecchiette with tomato sauce and cacioricotta cheese.

We also provide hands on and half day cooking classes in English or one week cooking and wine tours. This is a unique chance to learn about the Italian culture and traditions of Puglia through its food and cuisine. We are native to Puglia (and we speak English!) so we only teach the authentic traditional cuisine that we learned from our Grandmothers and family. Please note that real Italian cuisine is the home-made cuisine Italians eat at home. The cookery method (home-made) is the main reason why it is such a simple, healthy and delicious cuisine. It is thanks to the Southern Italian Women that this cuisine has been preserved and handed down till today (see our e-book). Very rarely you will see an Italian man in the kitchen!

Things to do near Lecce include: playing golf, scuba diving, sailing, shopping…enjoying the Dolce Vita!. Don’t forget about the siesta time in Lecce.

Day 2: Lecce is also a very good base if you want to visit and taste some of the best wines and extra virgin olive oils in Puglia. You should consider another whole day for the winery tours and olive oil tastings in the Salento area.

In case of interest, we provide wine tours and extra virgin olive oil tasting tours. You may attend the one day tours, or the special one week Full immersion into Puglia wines and olive oils program, which includes several visits to best wineries and olive oil producers as well as in class tastings and lessons.

Lecce is an excellent base if you love white sandy beaches and seafood. From Lecce you can easily go to Gallipoli (our second Top favorite place in Puglia) and Otranto (our third Top favorite place in Puglia). If you do not want to run around Puglia, we recommend you just spend your holiday between Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli. 

Day 3: In addition to its beautiful old town, Gallipoli has beautiful beaches and green water. If you love seafood, sea urchins, mussels, shirmps, octopus and any kind of fish, Gallipoli is definetely the place where to go.

The seafood market is small but you can find the freshest seafood sold by the fishermen.

If you arrive in Gallipoli early in the morning you can also see fishermen cleaning their fish nets.

Food in Gallipoli: includes freshly made pasta, vegetables, sea urchins and only seafood (it will be hard to find any meat). Don’t miss the red shrimps in sea salt crust. Also this is the place for sea urchins, which locals eat by the sea.

Gallipoli is the must see place if you love sunsets. Don’t miss an aperitif there. It’s one of the most romantic places if you come in a couple. You should consider spending at least one day in Gallipoli.

Things to do near Gallipoli include: swimming, watching the sunset, sailing and scuba diving…..relaxing on the beautiful beaches. However, you would need somebody local to find out about the best beaches as they are not easy to find.

Day 4: Otranto (our fourth Top place) is another beautiful town, Unesco heritage, with a marvellous blue water. The white sandy beaches are also very nice but a little bit hidden. You need to know where to go.

The old town is very special with the very interesting cathedral (don’t miss the mosaic) and the castle. What is really special about this area, is the coast going from Otranto all the way South. Driving along this coast will be an unforgettable experience.

Food in Otranto is mainly freshly made pasta, vegetables and seafood (no meat in Otranto). Don’t miss the sea bass in sea salt crust. You should consider spending at least one day in Otranto including the drive along its Southern coast.

Things to do near Otranto include: swimming, sailing, shopping.

Day 4/or 5: Our fourth top favorite place is Castro, another beautiful seaside town just south of Otranto and Lecce. There are no sandy beaches here, only rocks, but it is another beautiful and romantic place. If you are in hurry, you can visit Castro on the same day you visit Otranto, otherwise you should continue along the coast and visit the beautiful Santa Cesarea Terme. Again food will be freshly made pasta, vegetables and seafood. Castro is considered a VIP place among locals. Howver, you would need somebody local to guide you through it. Best things are a bit hidden.

Things to do near Castro include swimming, sailing and scuba diving…..admiring the beautiful sea view.

Day 6: Our fifth Top favorite place is Porto Selvaggio, another seaside place south of Gallipoli and Lecce. Porto Selvaggio is a WWF sea natural reserve. Before the sea water there is a wonderful forest easy to access.

The water has natural springs. We have lots of guests who say that hiking, riding a bike or just enjoying the water and sun in Porto Selvaggio was their best experience in Puglia. Because it is a natural reserve, you will have to bring your own food. Close by there is Nardò, where you can find fantastic bread and focaccia. You should consider spending at least one day in Porto Selvaggio.

Things to do in Porto Selvaggio include: hiking, biking, swimming.

Day 7 and 8: Moving up in the Northern part of Puglia, our sixth Top favorite places are Locorotondo and Cisternino. We suggest you use them as a base to visit the whole area (also known as Valle Itria).

You may spend two or three days in this area, where you find all the famous trulli houses. Locorotondo and Cisternino have beautiful old towns all whitewashed, with narrow streets and a very nice countryside.

They are certainly much more authentic and less touristy than Alberobello, where you find other trulli…..but be prepared for lots of tourists. Cisternino and Locorotondo are places to go to if you love meat (you don’t find Tuscan steaks though).

Food in Cisternino and Locorotondo: don’t miss the famous bombette meat, the capocollo pancetta, the burrata cheese and the orecchiette with cime di rape (broccoli).

Day 9: From here you can visit our seventh Top favorite place in Puglia, Ostuni, also known as the white town, because of its whitewashed houses built on top of a hill. After you visit the very nice old town in Ostuni, you should go to have lunch or dinner in Ceglie Messapica, where you find very good restaurants and for sure less tourists.

Food in the Ostuni and Martina Franca area is based on freshly made pasta, vegetables, legumes, meat, cheese.

Things to do near Ostuni  and Fasano include: playing golf.

Depending on how much time you have left you should consider visiting either Matera or Trani (or both!).

Day 10: Matera is a very beautiful place. Even though it is in Basilicata it is very close to Puglia. Matera is famous for its stones and in fact it has often been used as a set for movies.

You should consider spending at least one day here and staying in a hotel or B&B in the caves. Especially at night it can be very romantic with all the lights from the caves.

Food in Matera and Altamura: in this area you should miss the freshly made pasta and also the famous bread, taralli and focaccia. Also this is the area of the excellent Aglianico wine.

Other less famous but still very beautiful places are Ginosa, Laterza and Mottola.

Day 10 or 11: Trani is our ninth Top favorite place. It is by the Adriatic sea and has a beautiful and elegant cathedral, all made with a white stone.

Food is based on lots of fresh pasta and all kinds of seafood. This area is famous for its fruity extra virgin olive oil from Andria and for the Nero di Troia wine. From Trani don’t miss Giovinazzo, less touristy but very nice. You should spend at least one day in Trani.

We left the Gargano area as our tenth Top favorite place. This is not because it is less beautiful than the other places we mentioned, but only because this area is so big and so far from the rest of the region, that if you decide to go there you should consider spending at least 5 or 6 days.

Closest airport to Gargano is Bari. There are only small and slow roads in this area so don’t think of rushing to all places in one day. Our favorite places are: Peschici, Vieste, Mattinata. Here you find a combination of beautiful white sandy beaches, very nice sea nature and very good food, mainly from the sea.

Stile Mediterraneo Cooking School Puglia is listed as the number one thing to do in Puglia by the Feinschmecker, the most famous German Food magazine!!