Another highlight of our Apulian food adventures was the masserie, 16th century fortified farm estates, where we learned about the arts of cheese, and olive oil production.
Here we are at Masseria Cappella in the Valle d’Itria, where several of us attempted to form mozzarella knots and pouches of burrata. It wasn’t easy, particularly with an audience looking on, but it did help me appreciate what goes into making this joyfully decadent cheese.
After lessons from the master cheesemakers we returned to pasta making with Giovanna, who does all the baked goods for the farm. She is no stranger to the art of bread making, as evidenced by those amazing arms and shoulders!
After touring the farm we sat down to enjoy samples of all the cheeses from fresh to aged, creamy to smoked along with all the yummy pasta and side dishes. Sophie mentioned that the bus driver. who generally prefers to eat lunch on his own, always comes inside to eat this particular family-style meal. He can’t resist the fresh burrata. It was one of my favorite things!
Next in the Farm tours was the glorious olive Masseria owned by the Brancati family since 1820, a sanctuary for ancient olive trees, some from the pre-Roman era including one that may be over 3000 years old. I found a link to the historical details which is also an advertisement for bespoke suits, so it’s a little quirky, but fascinating.
It’s hard to imagine that over 800 of these trees have been growing for at least 1000 years. Each complete rotation of the trunk represents 1000 years. The almond trees were lovely as well, and we tasted some right off the tree. Not only are green almonds edible, they are tasty and can be used in lots of recipes! The trick is that they must be fresh during a short seasonal window and so are hard to get unless you have your own tree.
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