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When In Bari, Make Orecchiette With The Famous Pasta Ladies!

02 February 2023

by Giadzy

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These inspiring women of Bari make homemade orecchiette pasta on the streets every day - and Giada tried her hand at helping.

In the early mornings of Bari, Puglia's capitol city, some of the first people to wake up and get to work are the famous orecchiette pasta ladies. Churning out hundreds of little ear-shaped pastas while the rest of their handiwork naturally dries in the southern Italian sunshine, these women are an integral part of the streetside setting in Bari.

Orecchiette, meaning "little ears," is a quintessential pasta shape of Puglia. Like many aspects of Italian cuisine, the exact origin is contested. Whatever the specific history may be, the pasta women of Bari dilligently keep the tradition alive day in and day out.

When In Bari, Make Orecchiette With The Famous Pasta Ladies!

The recipe for orecchiette - including "hard work with love"!

Giada had a mission: she wanted to track down one of these women and try her hand at rolling some orecchiette herself. After a bit of friendly Italian scolding for the first few being incorrect (after years of cooking with Aunt Raffy, Giada's used to this specific brand of chastising!) Giada eventually got an enthusiastic "brava!" and applause from the pasta woman.

When in Bari, do as Giada did - search the streets for these pasta pros, and if you're brave enough, ask if you can try rolling a few yourself. At the very least, grab a bag of freshly made pasta to take home with you!