4 Traditional Foods
You Have To Try in Lecce

Pasticciotto is a popular Italian dessert consisting of a shortcrust pastry filled with flavorful pastry cream. Traditionally, the crust is made with lard, so that it is moister and softer than the regular crust prepared with butter. It is recommended to consume pasticciotto fresh out of the oven when it is still piping hot. Many believe that the dessert was invented in the 18th century by Andrea Ascalone, a chef from Galatina.Expand

This traditional Italian savory treat is prepared with various fillings that are enclosed between two layers of puff pastry. Typically round in shape, rustico is usually filled with a combination of béchamel sauce, tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese, but there are also varieties that employ spinach or ricotta. Unlike other local delicacies from Salento and Lecce, rustico is not part of the traditional country-style cuisine and is believed to have developed in the 1700s, following the invention of béchamel sauce. The pastry is a common street food item, and it is mainly enjoyed as a breakfast or an afternoon snack.Expand

Ciceri e tria is a traditional Apulian dish with Arabian and Sicilian origins. Today, it has become an unofficial symbol of the Salento region in Apulia. The dish consists of pasta and chickpeas, and is usually served as a first course in Italian restaurants. Additionally, the dish can be enhanced with onions, carrots, garlic, or black pepper. One part of the pasta is fried in olive oil, a process that was originally done in order to create a feeling of meatiness in the mouth during the times when meat was scarce. This simple and inexpensive dish is a true symbol of the Mediterranean diet and the ingenuity of Apulian cuisine.Expand

This traditional dessert hails from Apulia, and it is usually associated with Salento and the city of Lecce. It consists of a shortcrust pastry shell that is filled with pear or quince jam and almond paste. After it is filled, the oval-shaped treat is then typically topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate glaze. A less popular variety of fruttone is prepared in the shape of a large cake, and it typically goes under the name barchiglia. Fruttone is closely associated with pasticciotto, a similar treat that consists of a pastry cream filling.Expand