If you've ever spent minutes licking the last grams of sweet cream from a cannoli shell in Sicily, or picked up your bowl to lap up the final streak of ragu from a bowl in Bologna, you know Italy is a breeding ground for food fetishes. But one of my deepest Italian cravings is for something far less iconic: the biscuity, southern Italian crackers named taralli Pugliese that have seared a little ring-shaped imprint onto my heart.
Taralli are no mere crackers. Unlike the plebeian saltine or oyster, a tarallo is not a flavorless wafer, a flimsy garnish, or simply a subordinate vehicle for more delicious things. It’s a hearty, olive-oil-soaked, wreath-shaped treat that, to me, is meant to be eaten in delirious succession alone—like well-dressed popcorn or really good potato chips—or at the very most alongside a salty cured meat or with a glass of red. Almost as essential to my Italian travels as the one-Euro espresso, these portable, ubiquitous snacks can be found at Italian bakeries, markets, and even airport kiosks and have fueled my way across Italy.
The Standout Snack of Puglia
Having originated in Puglia—the “heel” of Italy, home to over 60 million olive trees, some thousands of years old—the very best savory taralli taste of little more than good olive oil, lots of salt, and often either fragrant fennel seed or coarsely ground black pepper, the two most classic flavors.
You'll find sweet versions (taralli dolci) in other parts of southern Italy, such as Sicily; they're sometimes glazed, often more tender and cookie-like, and, taste, well, fine. But I prefer the brittle, glossy, and golden-brown savory versions that weep fruity olive oil and sting with a saltiness that keeps you coming back for more.
ADVERTIsem*nTAD
AD
I love a packaged tarallo. Like most crackers, they keep forever and weigh nothing in your purse or carryon. (Unless you buy them by the kilo, like I did on a recent solo trip to Puglia from an all-taralli bakery called Il Tarallo Giusto.) But baking them at home is a way to guarantee there are always a few dozen on hand.
There are few tricks to baking great taralli, but they’re critical to keep in mind.
Use your best olive oil. The top-quality extra-virgin stuff for the boldest flavor.
Keep your sizes consistent. This is important to make sure the crackers bake evenly. To get a feel for it, measure your dough portions by weight before rolling.
ADVERTIsem*nTAD
AD
Boil, then bake. Like pretzels and bagels, taralli are boiled first before getting baked, which produces a sheen on the outside while keeping the interiors dense and deafeningly crunchy. Many recipes adapted by Americans feature yeast for leavening, but this defeats the point: The desired result is more akin to a biscotti than a bread, and fluffiness is the enemy to that concentrated crunch.
Start simple, then customize. The classic taralli seasonings—fennel seed or black pepper—are still the best, and you don't want to go crazy with anything that'd overpower the flavor of the olive oil. But there are other regional variations worth exploring, like one from Campania that features braided dough, a larger circumference, and some rendered lard in the place of the olive oil. And inventive flavors are more and more prevalent, often incorporating Italian ingredients like basil, tomato, rosemary, spicy pepperoncini, black olives, red wine, or cured pork.
Done well, taralli are the perfect bite-sized delights, and yet another justification for carb-loading, courtesy of the country that practically invented the concept. If that's not enough of an excuse, they look great on a cheese and charcuterie plate, too.
Store in a closed container to keep them crisp, and serve with an aperitivo – they are the a nice accompaniment for the rest of that dry white wine – or pile them into a breadbasket at dinner.
Store in a closed container to keep them crisp, and serve with an aperitivo – they are the a nice accompaniment for the rest of that dry white wine – or pile them into a breadbasket at dinner.
In some regions of Italy, there is an exciting tradition...they dip their taralli in wine. The traditional way to serve taralli is to use them as an appetizer or aperitif accompaniment. In both cases, taralli are accompanied by cheese and cold cuts.
Taralli were (and still are) served with wine. Many like to dunk the taralli in wine. The salt in the taralli is supposed to enhance the flavor of the wine, and work up an appetite as well.
Taralli are toroidal Italian snack foods, common in the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. A wheat-based cracker similar in texture to a grissini breadstick, taralli can be sweet or savory.
Taralli, for instance, can offer certain nutritional benefits. It contains olive oil, which is a good source of monounsaturated fats known for their heart-healthy properties. Also, it provides some amount of protein and fiber, contributing to feelings of fullness and aiding digestion.
What does vinegar do to pastry dough? One ingredient that you can add to a pie crust that is a little more unusual is vinegar. Vinegar helps tenderize pie dough because it slightly inhibits gluten development, leading to a crust that is flakier and easier to work with.
The origin of Pugliese Taralli is deeply rooted in the history of southern Italy, dating back to 400 AD. During this period of famine, legend has it that a hungry mother created the first Pugliese tarallo using simple ingredients she had at her disposal: flour, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and white wine.
In Italy, the after-school snack is a cherished afternoon ritual known as "la merenda". It's a time-honored tradition that bridges the gap between the end of the school day and dinner. For most Italian adults, it's a fondly remembered piece of their own childhoods.
Tripe (trippa in Italian) is a classic dish in regional Italian cuisine made from the edible lining of the stomachs of ruminants, primarily cows. In Lombardy, tripe may also be the first part of the small intestine of a veal calf or a steer. It is a simple dish, but it requires many hours of cooking time.
It's traditionally served with crackers, grissini or bread, she says – or, of course, taralli! . “Taralli are perfect to serve with dips, cheeses, antipasti, used as a canapé with your favourite topping, tossed through salads or added to grazing tables,” says Bruno.
How do Italians eat bread sticks? - Quora. Bread sticks (grissini) are often eaten instead of bread, i.e. to accompany dishes of meat, fish, cheese and vegetables - NOT pasta or pizza - and it is easy to find them together with bread on a restaurant table.
Italians don't slather their bread with butter, nor dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They enjoy it with a light drizzle of olive oil or plain. Resist the urge to dip or ask for butter.
A traditional Italian way to enjoy taralli is with a glass of wine (or grape juice). Dip the cracker into your glass and allow it to soak up some of the liquid. Then, enjoy the way that the texture and flavor transform.
Let's start with size: Taralli are bigger and are a tasty and crunchy substitute for breadsticks and bread on the table. Tarallini are smaller and perfect for aperitivo.
Tarall'Oro Tarallini Gusto Classico, 8.81 oz (250 g) are a favorite cracker-like snack popular throughout Italy but especially in the region of Puglia, where taralli originate. Smaller than standard size taralli, these classic style tarallini from Puglian artisan producer Tarall'Oro are savory and delightfully crunchy.
Hobby: LARPing, Kitesurfing, Sewing, Digital arts, Sand art, Gardening, Dance
Introduction: My name is Amb. Frankie Simonis, I am a hilarious, enchanting, energetic, cooperative, innocent, cute, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
