Landed safely in Bari today from Munich together with the German women’s national basketball team (I was one of the shortest people on the plane). Paolo generously came to pick me up and we headed down to downtown Lecce where we stopped for a puccia, the classic and ubiquitous stuffed flatbread of Puglia, one of its “fast foods.”
I wasn’t as ambitious as Paolo in the stuffings I selected (prosciutto, cheese, mushrooms, and arugula). He had his with tuna, prosciutto (yes, tuna and prosciutto!), and insalata russa (vegetable and mayonnaise salad). When I asked him about the unusual combination of salt-cured pork and olive oil-cured tuna, he said, “that’s the whole point of the puccia! You have to mix everything in the puccia!”
The quality of the bread here — even at an urban “fast food” joint like this one — just blows me away.
I wish I had been more ambitious in my fillings… but I know this first puccia won’t be my last!
Do Bianchi 
hi to Paolo – sounds like you are off to a great start:)
very happy to meet you Friday in Apulia Jeremy!
I’m definitely more (food) ambitious than Dobianchi ;-). This is only the beginning man!
P.S. Hi Diane!
that is a work of art!
@Keeper I’m in good hands! :)
@Franco very much looking forward to seeing you and our tastings! Thanks, again, for inviting me!
@Paolo dude, what an amazing experience to see and taste “your Puglia”… Thank you, again, man… From Sam’s to La Puccia!
@Tracie P there’s nothing in the world I would love more than to share a puccia with my Picci Wicci! :) love you…
A. How have I lived and worked in Puglia every year since 2008 and never even seen a Puccia?
B. Paolo how have you left me with this void in my food vocabulary? :-)