Among the most enduring tastes came from
the 9th-century conquest by Saracen Arabs, who
brought refined cane sugar and almonds, which were
mashed into a paste to produce marzipan, or pasta di
mandorla, which is a specialty of many Salentine pastry
shops. Eggplant, known to the Greeks and Romans,
was reintroduced to Salento by Arabs and a huge range
of species flourish to this day, appearing sliced, layered
and baked with tomato in a summer dish called
parmigiana di melanzane, or simmered with tomato
and herbs in marangiane ’mbuttunate. Most citrus,
with the exception of lemons, had vanished from the
peninsula after the fall of the Roman Empire, but
bitter oranges were most likely returned to southern
Italy by the Saracens more than a thousand years ago.
Today candied orange peel is sold on its own or
encased in dark chocolate.
The Spanish, too, left their mark before being
expelled by the most recent conquerors, the Italians,
in 1861. They introduced New World produce such ➤
Clockwise from
top: fishing
trawlers at Torre
San Giovanni;
Aperol Spritz
at Caffè Parisi,
Nardo; chef
Andrea Capoti
from Capitoni
Coraggiosi,
Gallipoli; a catch
at Pescheria del
Porto fishmongers.GOURMET TRAVELLER 153