Food, wine, and other local produce to try and buy

Immersing yourself in the local food and wine scene is not debatable! Apulian food is heavenly, with lots of vegetables, cheeses, and seafood (and carbs, of course), and I want to hear from you when you get back that you tried most of these delicacies:

• Spaghetti all’Assassina: If a non-Italian came up with this recipe, I'm pretty sure nonnas across Italy would have been outraged, given that the pasta is placed raw in the spicy tomato sauce until slightly burnt, and then a broth of water and tomato paste is added gradually (like in a risotto) until it's perfectly cooked.

• Orecchiette pasta with cime di rapa: Puglia's most iconic pasta shape, orecchiette (little ears), with broccoli rabe/rapini. Note that the sauce contains anchovies, so it's not vegetarian.

• Riso, patate e cozze: Also known as Tiella, this unexpected yet utterly delicious baked dish consists of rice, potatoes, and mussels.

• Focaccia Barese: Topped with cherry tomatoes (and sometimes olives), this focaccia is not an ordinary one because some versions incorporate mashed potatoes into the dough.

• Panzerotti: Similar in shape to a calzone, this heavenly fried dough is filled with tomato and mozzarella.

• Sgagliozze: While polenta is a more common ingredient in northern Italy, it's used to make a popular street food in Bari of deep-fried polenta squares (which to me, actually tasted like popcorn).

• Rustico Leccese: A pastry from Lecce filled with bechamel, tomato sauce, and mozzarella.

• Ciceri e tria: A typical dish from Lecce of pasta with chickpeas.

• Puccia Salentina: Typical bread from Salento used for sandwiches.

• Fave e Cicoria: Fava bean puree with sautéed chicory.

• Frisa Salentina (or frise/frisella): Dry toasted bread usually topped with tomatoes and olive oil.

• Pasticciotto: As a full-time pastry addict, one of my favorite things to try was a pasticciotto, an oval-shaped sweet pie filled with pastry cream. YUM.

• Taralli: Small, crunchy, ring-shaped crackers/breadsticks/bagels.

• Caffe Leccese: Espresso, ice, and almond milk/syrup.

  Let's also not forget that Puglia also has a-m-a-z-i-n-g cheeses like burrata, stracciatella, caciocavallo, and mozzarella, olive oil (Ostuni is a famous area for this), Primitivo wine, and more unique breads like Pane di Altamura.

  And that's just the tip of the iceberg because there are so many more regional and provincial delicacies to try!