good food in Puglia

John, it cracked me up that your original posting was for "great food in Puglia" and now you've downgraded it to just "good food in Puglia". You've probably figured out that you haven't gotten any responses because Puglia is not a major destination point for English-speaking tourists.

Best of luck. Out of curiosity, did you have a particular city in mind for Puglia? You'll probably find that your lodging will be able to give you good recommendations if you tell them you want a restaurant where the locals go for good food.

Ok, who has you so worried about food in Puglia? (I saw your earlier post and didn't really know how to respond, but let me try now.) Puglia is famous for its olive oil, its fish, and bread, as well as some excellent local wines. As in all of Italy you will be able to find good restaurants and lots of fresh produce, fish, deli meat, cheeses, pasta, and bread. I spent two weeks in Puglia visiting the different towns in the region and the only complaint I had was the some restaurants watered down the vino della casa (the kind they bring you in a carafe.) There are open markets and small shops selling food, along with huge supermarket chains, and of course excellent restaurants. Puglia is beautiful and the food is excellent, just like Italy in general.

We were in Tuscany in 2000 and found the food in most restaurants similarly mediocre and boring.
We are looking for places the locals go with great food without it being a Michelin star quality and price. We have a home exchange in a Masseria near San Vito dei Normanni in September this year.

Get yourself a copy of "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler," by Fred Plotkin. He has a 24 page chapter on the food of Puglia, which discusses the regional specialties as well as wines. He also lists and describes, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, gelaterias, and food shops. It's our bible for eating when we're in Italy. It IS about 2 inches thick, so we photocopy the relevant chapters to take along.

...just follow your nose. Eat where the locals are. Puglia is a wonderful, wonderful area of Italia - food, wine, views, castles, beaches...

I have yet to find BAD food in Puglia! (Our vacation home is on the Campania/Basilicata/Puglia border) WE love other spots in Italy...but NONE compare to the untouristed areas of Southern Italy as far as food...and wine! Seriously - no food problems - I can practically guarantee it will be delicious ;-) (Puglia actually has become quite popular as a tourist destination, BTW - you can find some reviews on the SlowTrav site)