Cheap eats guide to Bari

It is my pleasure to welcome Ezio Totorizzo, proud native of Puglia and editor of the travel blog Spezio as the latest guest editor of the Cheap Eats Guide column. Today he’s taking us on a virtual tour of the best street food of his home town, Bari. Bari is one of the most important cities in Puglia which lies at the southern tip of Italy  (the tip of the boot) With its busy thriving port and also the newly opened Aeroporto di Bari ‘Karol Wojtyla’ , the city is the gateway for discovering this beautiful region. One reason to enjoy a day in Bari, is of course the food and in particular, the street food. Yes, it sounds unusual but in Bari it is possible to get the most amazing and tasty speciality of the Apulian Food. Behind the food there is a world of stories, culture and lives that you can better to know just by eating. I want to share with you the tips and secrets of what you can’t miss in a street food tour of my town.

1. Orecchiette: The Pasta of Puglia

Strada Arco Basso (Strada delle Orecchiette), Bari Vecchia. About 100 metres from Castello Normanno-Svevo.

The official name is Strada Arco Basso, a narrow street in the heart of Bari Vecchia, but the whole world now knows it as Strada delle Orecchiette. Local women make fresh orecchiette pasta by hand every day, working directly outside their homes. This is not a staged attraction or a tourist performance. What you see is real daily life: the women work quickly and confidently, often without looking at their hands, while chatting with neighbours in the local Barese dialect.

Walk the street slowly, watch the hands at work, and do not buy from the first table you reach. Stroll to the end, take it all in, then come back to whoever caught your eye. Body language travels well here. Prices for a bag of fresh orecchiette to take home start from around €5 to €8 depending on size and grain.

Practical tip: Buy the soft, fresh orecchiette rather than the dried ones. Some vendors sell factory-made pasta alongside the handmade variety, so look for the ones being shaped right in front of you.

Best time to visit: Morning from 8am onward. After lunch, the heat turns up and several of the ladies pack up. Sundays tend to be quieter.

2. Sgagliozze: Fried Polenta, a Bari Legend

Address: Strada delle Crociate 13, Bari Vecchia  |  Also: Largo Albicocca, Bari Vecchia (best in the early evening)

Sgagliozze are slices of fried cornmeal, salted and served hot in a paper bag. They are crispy on the outside, soft inside, and taste a little like very savoury, deeply satisfying popcorn. This is cucina povera at its most honest and most delicious.

For many years, the place to go was Maria delle Sgagliozze, on Strada delle Crociate in Bari Vecchia, who became a genuine international legend. Newsweek named her among the 101 best places to eat in the world. Sadly, Maria has since passed away, but her family and other vendors continue the tradition at the same spot and at Largo Albicocca, a small square in Bari Vecchia that has become the heart of sgagliozze culture. The square is sometimes nicknamed Largo Sgagliozze in her honour.

Today you will find sgagliozze at Strada delle Crociate 13 in Bari Vecchia, where 10 pieces cost around €1 to €2 in a paper bag, served piping hot. Eat them immediately, walking through the old town.

3. Popizze: Fried Pizza Dough

Popizze are small fritters made from pizza dough, fried fresh and sold in bags. They are light, puffy and wonderfully simple. You will often find sgagliozze and popizze sold together, made by the same vendor. Both are the kind of thing you eat standing in a doorway, slightly too hot to handle, completely unable to stop.

4. Focaccia Barese: Bari’s Edible Business Card

Address: Panificio Fiore: Strada Palazzo di Citta 38, Bari Vecchia  |  El Focacciaro: Via Cognetti 43

Focaccia barese is a thick, golden bread baked with cherry tomatoes, olives and oregano. The secret is boiled potatoes folded into the dough, which gives it its famous softness. Locals eat it torn by hand, warm, mid-morning. The olive oil on your fingers is not a mistake. It is a badge of honour showing you are eating the real thing.

This is not something from the original guide but it would be wrong to come to Bari without mentioning it. If you only eat one thing in the city before heading to the orecchiette street, make it a slice of focaccia barese.

Where to find it: Panificio Fiore on Strada Palazzo di Citta 38 has been baking since 1508 and is one of the most beloved spots, at around €2 a slice. El Focacciaro on Via Cognetti is another classic.

5. Panzerotti: The Fried Pocket of Dreams

Panzerotti are half-moon pockets of pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, fried until they blister and puff. The first bite always burns your tongue and that is entirely part of the charm. Eat them standing up, with a napkin and a cold Peroni. They are crunchy outside, molten inside and dangerously addictive.

Pizzeria di Cosimo is often cited as Bari’s temple of panzerotti, an unassuming spot that has been frying up legendary versions for decades. El Focacciaro also does excellent panzerottini alongside its focaccia.

-Panificio Milanese di Visaggio

Via Quintino Sella,43 (Almost at the end of the famous  street Corso Vittorio Emanuele)

Ask for Focaccia, panzerotti and rustici. Everything is so good and genuine. This is a family bakery.

-Panificio Fiore

Strada Palazzo di Città 38, Bari (just beside the “Saint Nicola ” Cathedral) One of the oldest bakery in town.

-Pizzeria Di Cosimo

via Giovanni Modugno 31, Bari For a really big and local Panzerotto.

Tips for Eating Your Way Through Bari Vecchia

Bari Vecchia can feel disorienting at first. The streets are narrow and the alleys wind. That is entirely the point. Allow yourself to get a little lost, follow your nose and stop whenever something smells good.

Go in the morning for the pasta ladies and the focaccia. Go in the evening for the sgagliozze, the popizze and the panzerotti vendors who come to life as the day cools down.

I just wanted to share with you some stories about my city and I really suggest you to come and visit Puglia, because it is a really charming place for people, architecture and above all food.

If you need some tips about Puglia just check my travelblog  www.spezio.it

Hope you enjoyed Ezio’s fantastic guide. If you are visiting Italy don’t forget to check out the cheap eats guide to Florence  , Cheap eats guide to Rome , Cheap Eats Guide to Catania plus my guide to Parma and the 48 Hour Guide to Bologna