L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano M y first stop when enter- ing Apulia was at the Wojtyla air- port in Bari Baggage claim. While waiting for the conveyor belt to start delivering my bags, I looked up and noticed the room's only advertisement: a banner pasted across the top of the wall highlighting il Pane di Altamura DOP— Altamura's famous semolina bread. Was I shocked? No. I had come to Apulia with every intention of traveling to Alta- mura to eat this bread. Was I surprised—and delighted—to see a fresh loaf of bread adver- tised on the wall like a phone plan? Well, yes. October 16th is World Bread Day, but in Southern Italy, great bread is celebrat- ed (and consumed) nearly every day. Traditionally, it comes not from a plastic bag on a supermarket shelf, but from a local panificio, where a lievito madre—or starter— gives each loaf its unique fla- vor, the local grains its pale y e l l o w c o l o r , a n d a w o o d o v e n a n e x t r a s c e n t a n d crispy crust. In this, the heel of the boot—Apulia and its neighboring region, the Basil- icata, to be specific—bread- m a k i n g t r a d i t i o n s h a v e r e s u l t e d i n t h e r i v a l i n g breads of Altamura and Mat- e r a , a s w e l l a s a b e l o v e d f o c a c c i a t h a t o n c e g a v e M c D o n a l d ' s a r u n f o r i t s money. So what was the Bari air- p o r t b i l l b o a r d b o a s t i n g about? Altamura is a town of nearly 70,000 inhabitants s i t t i n g a b o u t 4 0 m i n u t e s southwest from Bari and the Adriatic coast. Set in the high plateau of the Alta Murgia region, this small town is f a m o u s f o r i t s n a m e s a k e bread—the only one in all of Italy to have receive PDO sta- tus (its ingredients and pro- duction take place in a well- d e f i n e d r e g i o n , a n d t h e recipe must be strictly fol- lowed)—as well as for a battle i n t h e e a r l y a u g h t s t h a t proved American fast food w a s n o m a t c h f o r e i t h e r JESSICA S. LEVY Altamura's bread had to be sturdy on the outside and soft on the inside to make it last several days to a week—how- ever long workers were out in the fields. Women made their dough at home, taking the bread to be baked in commu- nal ovens, (since personal ones didn't exist for a long time), and the initial repre- senting the family's surname name would be etched into the top crust to identify who the loaves belonged to. Locals sought to formalize the breadmaking tradition, and it received PDO status in 2003. The beauty of the bread is in its simplicity, as it's made of only four ingredi- ents: semolina flour (hard grain), starter, salt and water. T h e f o u r f l o u r s ( A p p u l o , Arcangelo, Duilio, and Sime- to) must be grown locally and the bread must weigh no less than 500 grams, have a gold- en brown crust at least 3 mil- limeters thick, and a humidi- ty up to 33%. The loaf can be shaped in one of two ways: one in a flat round, and the other with a signature hump folded on top. Its crispy and toothsome exterior gives way to a lovely, pale butter-yellow interior, also soft and chewy. It goes great with olive oil and salumi, or even butter and jam. Meanwhile, travel just 12 miles from Altamura to the U N E S C O W o r l d H e r i t a g e town Matera, which sits on the other side of the Apulia- Basilicata border, to find an eerily similar bread adver- tised on restaurant and shop windows, with the proud dec- laration of being Pane di Matera. It's clear that Mat- erans don't want any confu- sion with the sister loaf in Apulia. Matera's signature loaf differs slightly from Alta- mura's—but the untrained palate might not notice at first. M a t e r a ' s b r e a d h a s received PGI status, and though less rigorous than a P D O d e s i g n a t i o n , i t s t i l l r e q u i r e s a h i g h l e v e l o f regional production. Notably d i f f e r e n t a r e t h e t y p e s o f semolina flours included in the dough: Cappelli, Duro Lucano, Capeiti and Appulo— all but the latter are different, and all must be grown in the Basilicata region. Matera's bread, while also fermented by the lievito madre starter, also contains brewer's yeast, which gives it slightly more rise than that of Altamura. While shaped into a sinewy S, with a few incisions along the t o p , t h e b r e a d s t i l l l o o k s much like that of its rival in A l t a m u r a . O n e Y o u T u b e r does a side-by-side compari- son of the breads, noting everything from the thick- ness of the crust to the light golden interior color and air pockets. Altamura's bread looks just slightly more com- pact. The other famous bread in this southern region of Italy is focaccia. While it might seem more like a cheeseless pizza to outsiders, the local focaccia barese is built on local staples—lots of extra- virgin olive oil, tomatoes, and olives—and is served by the slice topped with a bit of sea salt or herbs. And it was this mouthwatering street food that was ultimately used by Altamurans to kick American f a s t f o o d o u t o f t o w n . I n 2001, McDonald's launched a franchise in Altamura, where the local bread makers did not welcome them with open arms. Instead, local bread maker and panificio-owner L u c a D i G e s ù o p e n e d a s t o r e f r o n t n e x t t o t h e McDonald's, pushing local b a k e d g o o d s — e v e r y t h i n g from biscotti, bread and all- you-can-eat focaccia—in an attempt to drown out desire for the ubiquitous taste of American fast food. Ulti - mately, the effort worked, with locals remaining loyal to their own breads and tradi- tions, leaving McDonald's no choice but to eventually close their doors and move out of town. Today, the Di Gesù bakery remains a fixture in Altamu- r a , a n d t h e f a m o u s P D O bread can be picked up here. I f y o u ' r e l i k e m e , i t ' s n o t enough to see it on a bill- board in the airport. Instead, you'll drive out of your way to find the town, get a loaf of b r e a d , a n d m a k e i t l a s t a week through your journey home—overseas—so that you can make your memories of Apulia last just a little bit longer. LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES focaccia or the local pride. The Pane di Altamura is noted for its long conserva- tion, signature semolina taste and texture, but the bread- m a k i n g s p e a k s t o a l o n g - standing tradition. Written records date as far back to 37 BC when the Latin poet Ora- zio wrote about "the best bread in the world" that he had eaten in le Murge, this area of Italy. In the 15th and 16th centuries, documents discussed the bread as well. In a land of farmworkers, A stack of Altamura loaves (Photo: Oscab/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED Southern Italy's slow bread: tradition rises up

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