An Appetite for Puglia: The People, the Places, the Food

Both a guidebook and a cookbook, Appetite for Puglia was first published in 2008. It profiles 20 restaurants throughout the Italian region, introducing would-be travelers and diners to the chefs or cooks of a range of establishments, and presenting several typical dishes from each.

Wait, you say. 2008? Let us testify for a moment to the enduring quality of both restaurants in Italy and author Christine Smallwood's taste in establishments. As of March, 2022, our internet sleuthing determined that 17 of the restaurants are still operating, 2 seem immune enough to electronic hustling not to have anything like a web or social media presence, and only 1 has definitely closed. That's endurance.

From Gallipoli on the coast of the Gulf of Taranto in the south to Monte Sant' Angelo on the Adriatic Sea in the north of the region, Smallwood, a longtime travel writer who has taken a similar approach in Umbria and Lombardy, captures the spirit of mult-generational family restaurants and Michelin-starred destination spots.

Attractive photographs of the restaurants' food, as well as of streets, harbors, and residents help conjure a the spirit of a distinctive place.

Paperback. Color photographs throughout.