Taralli are savoury cakes historically coming directly from Puglia. Later they spread in many regions for their tasty and yet simple taste. Their origin dates back to the 15th century where they were often a sign of friendship and cordiality. Even today, if you visit a Pugliese family, they will most probably offer taralli to their guests .
The traditional recipe is salty and uses simple and basic ingredients. It is also available in spicy variations (with chilli, pepper or fennel) or flavoured with onions, broccoli rave, cereals or tomato. There are also recipes sweetened with sugar, chocolate, or almonds with or without icing.
Here we present the salty and classic version of taralli. You’ll have to be careful with double baking but it will remain a rather easy preparation!
Ingredients for 750 gr taralli
Flour – 500 g
White wine – 180 g
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Extra virgin olive oil – 120 g
Preparation of taralli
Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough well until you obtain a firm, smooth and homogeneous ball (if it is too hard, add a little more wine).
Gradually take a piece of dough and form small sticks. Cut sticks about ten centimetres long and make small rings out of the dough.
Then boil slightly salted water and gradually discard the taralli. As soon as they appear on the surface, remove the taralli with a skimmer and leave them to dry on a pastry board.
When they are dry, place them on a baking dish and bake at 200° for about 20 minutes.
And there you have your taralli, ready to serve at the table or to take with you when you get hungry!
Tips :
Taralli can be eaten as an aperitif, instead of bread or as a snack.
They are not only for adults: children love them, Giorgio !