Puglia

My family and I are driving through the countryside dotted with ancient olive trees as far as the eye can see. As the Adriatic Sea rises directly in front of us, I think of nothing beyond the beauty of this place. The trees, dating back to the 17th century, are gnarled and knotted like the overworked hands of an elderly woman. The green of their leaves offset the blue sea backdrop — magic. We are in Puglia, the heel of Italy’s boot.
 
Eventually, we come to the tiny village of Speziale di Fasano, where we are to visit the Caseificio Crovace Oronzo e Figli. These artisan cheesemakers are not what you’d expect. A family-owned business for over 30 years, it is now run by two young sisters (yes, twentysomethings). The women of the Caseificio are passionate about making cheese the way it has been produced for hundreds of years. They support the local farmers and purchase their milk daily from their neighbors. In order to control the taste of the final product, they like to know what the animals have been eating and about the environment in which they live. With this simple base ingredient, great care and traditional recipes, the sisters create transformational cheeses.

Upon arrival at their small shop on the main (read: only) street in town, we are warmly welcomed and escorted around the corner and through the thick plastic sheeting covering the warehouse door. Everything is covered with a translucent and incredibly slippery film. “Attenzione!”

There are two working stations, each with a cheesemaker at task. The first is working on classic mozzarella knots. A middle-aged man making these tiny clouds of love has his bare hands in a vat of steaming water mixing the curd. No machine here. He kneads and stretches the curd until it forms the light, silken texture he's looking for. From this, he forms small knots, larger balls and even a turtle shape for our toddler.

When he finally removes his hands to offer us a taste, it is impossible to see his hands for the cheese. These are the hands of an artist — tough, pruned and scarred — but the smile on his face lights the room as we oohh and aahh after sampling the fresh mozzarella. It is delicious — light as a cloud, silky, slightly salty, perfect.

Next stop: fresh Ricotta. The cheese is formed by re-cooking the whey once it has been removed from the curd to make mozzarella. We watch the cheesemaker work on an order of individual-sized ricotta towers. The torre have been re-cooked and are delicately removed from their baskets to stand on end in a cooling bath. After all, it is June in Puglia and it’s hot. Really hot.

Enough observation; it’s finally time to taste. The table is set in the center of the production space and it is filled with more fresh mozzarella, scamorza, smoked mozzarella, caciocavallo and the king of all things Pugliese, buratta!

Without hesitation, we dive into the burrata first. (If only we could actually dive into it!) Our host slices it open to expose the creamy insides and the taste is extraordinary; sweet, creamy and silky yet light as air. This cheese needs nothing — no pairing would do it justice.

Once we are able, we move on to the other goodies on the table. Figs larger than a baseball, called fiorini, are the first fruit the fig trees give each season. They are out-of-this-world sweet and perfectly ripe. Local olive oil, produced around the corner by another family member, is seasoned with a touch of pepper, in which we dip the fresh focaccia made that morning. Let the games begin!

The scamorza is a firm and nutty version of mozzarella that has been hung out to dry. Scamorza has become a favorite of mine and is wonderful melted over just about anything! This is the best I have ever had, and paired with the fiorini it is a slice of heaven.

The ricotta melted in our mouths. It was slippery and light on the tongue yet had such a rich flavor. It must have taken centuries to create this type of balance. This cheese is totally unrelated to the fresh ricotta we purchase in the U.S. We coated a piece of the focaccia and took another bite. And another.

The fresh smoked mozzarella paired with a slice of fig was another perfect combination, and unexpected. The sweetness of the fig cut the smoky flavor of the cheese, making an entirely different taste altogether. The salty caciocavallo was also a nice pair with the fig as it had been aged to become a touch more pungent and grainy, in the best possible way.

The experience of visiting the Caseificio and watching the cheesemakers do what they do gave all of us a real appreciation for artisanal cheese. Thankfully, the women of Caseficio Crovace Oronzo are doing their best to retain the regional traditions in cheesemaking. They are part of a new generation of young Pugliese dedicating themselves to the preservation of tradition in kitchens and back rooms throughout the region. There are many others like them blending the old traditions with new products, such as artisan olive oils, pastas and wines.

The cumulative effort is paying off: In years past, the oil made in Puglia was typically shipped to other regions (dare I say, other countries) to be blended with other, more expensive oils. Now, you can find many wonderful oils produced from 100 per cent Pugliese olives, for a price. Visiting an olive oil frantoio for an oil tasting has become a popular activity for visitors to the region.

Pugliese wines have also become more popular in recent years. The indigenous Primitivo grape (known as Zinfandel when grown in the US) used to make the famous Primitivo di Manduria has surged in popularity in Italy and beyond. Pugliese wines are typically good value as well as great-tasting. Wine tourism has not yet taken off in the region, as most wineries are not open to the public for tours and tastings. Although, when booked in advance, most are more than willing to accommodate and thrilled to be able to introduce their products.

If we were forced to choose one take-home concept from our trip to Puglia, it would surely be related to the pride of the local people. From the cab drivers and hotel owners to the wait staff in restaurants, tour guides and vintners, each and every person exuded a pride in everything they do, and especially in where they live. Puglia is an amazing place for its extraordinary natural beauty, but without the distinct and unique people who inhabit it, it would be just another beautiful food and wine destination. Rest assured, it is so much more.

We travel in search of poetry in everyday life. Here, we found it.

Photography bt Brigit O'Meara