Taralli

Documented in Apulia from the 15th century as a poor man's keeping bread — flour, white wine, olive oil, salt, no leavening or only a touch — designed to last weeks unrefrigerated for fishermen and farmhands. The boil-then-bake method is older than Naples' pretzel-influenced versions and is why the texture is dense rather than airy.

Documented in Apulia from the 15th century as poor man's keeping bread — flour, white wine, olive oil, salt, no leavening — designed to last weeks unrefrigerated for fishermen and farmhands. The boil-then-bake method is older than Naples' pretzel-influenced versions and is why the texture is dense rather than airy. White wine in the dough does double duty: alcohol crisps the surface, wine acid tightens the gluten so the ring holds shape through the boil.

Small ring biscuits the size of a wedding band, snapping cleanly between the teeth with a faint anise-fennel perfume. The surface is matte, lightly blistered from being boiled before baking — the same trick as a bagel. Plain, fennel, or black-pepper versions sit in bowls next to wine; they're meant to be eaten by the handful, not one at a time.

White wine in the dough does double duty: alcohol crisps the surface as it evaporates, and wine acid tightens the gluten so the ring holds its shape through the boil. Skipping the boil produces a soft cracker — the brief dunk gelatinizes the outer starch, which is what gives the bite its glassy snap.