is a traditional
bread
Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
of
Laterza, a (municipality) in the
province of Taranto
The province of Taranto (; Tarantino: ; Salentino: ), previously known as the province of the Ionian, is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Taranto. It has an area of , and a total population of 581,092 (2017). ...
, Italy. It is made with
durum wheat
Durum wheat (), also called pasta wheat or macaroni wheat (''Triticum durum'' or ''Triticum turgidum'' subsp. ''durum''), is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it repres ...
flour with water, salt, and sourdough. It is mainly produced in Laterza, but it can be also found in neighbouring . It has been recognised by the Italian
Ministry of the Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies as a (PAT) of
Apulia
Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...
.
Origins
Agriculture has ever been fundamental for the economy of Laterza. The first evidence of the use of cereals for the production of bread date back to 5th century BC. Spelt and barley were the most used ones, above all for what was called "focaccia". After the Roman period, for several centuries, the production of bread was only for the noble people who could manage a bakery. In the district called nowadays "Fornaci" (furnaces which, in Italian, stands also for '
bakeries
A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...
'), an ancient oven for bread has been found. It had been active until 18th century and it belonged to a feudatory.
In the 50s, the bakeries were managed by only four women: a baker and three workers. The workers prepared the firewood and took the dough from the houses of the village. The baker cooked it and then the workers brought the baked bread in the houses again.
Characteristics
is baked in the wood oven with olive wood with some other natural aromatic products such as seeds of apricot and almonds. The size of each piece of bread (called or ''panédd'' in local dialect) can amount to one, two or four kg. The crust is brown while the soft part inside the bread is ivory.
For 100 grams:
Consortium
Consorzio per il Pane di Laterza, Laterza (Taranto).
Laterza is also a member of the Associazione nazionale città del pane ('National Association of the Cities of Bread'), an Italian organization with the aim of promoting and enhancing the traditional types of bread.
See also
*
References
{{Bread
Italian breads
Cuisine of Apulia