After 25 years in Italy for work reasons (in an industry far from the kitchen), a Japanese man returned to Tokyo in 2014 to found a business no one had even dreamed of starting in his country before: Now, he makes panzerotti just about every day. Yep, panzerotti. Not exactly your typical Italian dish. But it’s not the only Italian specialty that’s recently come into fashion: these days, you can try the panzerotto barese, a specialty from Bari, just about anywhere in the world. In Bari, it tastes the best (of course). But in Milan, Rome, Berlin, London and New York, authentic panzerotti abound!
A brief history of the panzerotto
In Bari, everyone calls it ‘panzerotto.’ In Salento, they say ‘calzone’ and in Campania, ‘pizza fritta.’ The ingredients, however, are the same, despite its many variations. And even if the original panzerotto was born among the alleys that saw Antonio Cassano’s first soccer ball kicks, sometime between the 16th and 17th century. And yet, the panzerotto might be even older than that, having shared a similar history to pizza. A true panzerotto alla barese, in fact, is made with pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella and tomato, closed into a half-moon shape and fried. Baked, the panzerotto tastes just as good, but the olive oil from the countryside of Bari makes the fried version especially delicious. To skip frying it would basically be considered an abomination for panzerotto purists everywhere!
There’s a little something for everyone
In addition to the traditional recipe, there are several variants on the panzerotto barese. You can add capers, ricotta cheese, bacon or even mortadella and provolone, the main ingredients for another special recipe from Puglia – the focaccia alla barese. A double focaccia, with tomato and oregano as usual, but cut in half and stuffed with mortadella and cheese. In some cities in the territory of Bari, moreover, it’s traditional to make panzerotti stuffed in different ways during the holidays. Frittelle, as they’re commonly called in many towns in the area, are made for Christmas, New Year's Eve (a holiday when the calzone fritto is also made, but in a much larger version with fish or vegetables) and San Martino, the traditional holiday at the end of the harvest still celebrated today – a time in the South to enjoy new wines and fried food like frittelle among the company of family and friends.