Visiting Vieste and the Gargano is a multi-sensory experience, where Taste is also the protagonist.
Due to its geographical peculiarities, the Gargano area offers numerous typical dishes, both from the sea and from the land, becoming a perfect destination for food and wine tourism, for the discovery of new flavours.
Tomatoes are a central element of the Gargano diet, crushed on traditional pizza or slices of bread, to prepare the typical Apulian snack, bread and tomato.
La Apulian pizza, also called focaccia, is very different from brick pizza, the classic Neapolitan pizza, on which we recommend reading the fascinating history of margherita pizza.
In fact, the Pugliese pizza is cooked in a pan and eaten cold, establishing itself over the years as a perfect food to take and consume on the beach.
The tomatoes are also preserved in oil, after having dried them in the sun arranged on wooden tables on the roofs of the houses in Vieste.
As you have already understood, the basis of all Viestana cuisine is the delicious extra virgin olive oil, in its variant of ogliarola Garganica, one of the finest oils in the world which gives a pleasant dressing to most of the typical dishes of Viestana cuisine.
Cuttlefish fishing is widespread in Vieste and in the seaside villages of the Gargano, which are also eaten raw as an appetizer, or with tomato sauce to accompany troccoli, long fresh handmade pasta, or stuffed with peas.
Among the first courses we also find the orecchiette and their typical variant, the strascinati.
The second courses can be both fish-based and meat- and vegetable-based. Notable are the stuffed peppers and aubergines.
Among the cheeses stand out the cacioricotta, often consumed grated on pasta, and the Cheese, the king of Apulian cheeses, which we find here in its "podolica" version, even tastier.
The Podolian cow lives in a semi-wild state, and wandering in the woods it manages to have a very varied diet, which gives its milk, and consequently the Podolian caciocavallo, a truly exceptional aromatic taste.
The typical desserts are the "Kulustr", the Cartellate, with almonds and honey, the "calzuncidd" (typical Christmas with chestnut jam) and wafers with almonds and honey.
The Gargano, especially in the area of Rhodes Garganico and Vico del Gargano, is also an area of citrus groves. In fact, DOP Lemons and Oranges are produced there and exported all over the world.
In the Carpino area, the Fava di Carpino is grown, with unique peculiarities, also prepared in Vieste accompanied by chicory or pumpkin.
Vico del Gargano instead is the city of Paposha, a baked sandwich filled with the products of the land.
Paposcia contends with the fried panzerotto (common throughout Puglia) the title of street food par excellence in the Gargano.
Whether you love meat or fish, sweet or savoury, bread or vegetables, a trip to Vieste will also satisfy your curious palates.