Biscotto cegliese: a food trip from Brindisi to Ceglie Messapica

What the biscotto cegliese is

It is a small almond sweet with a soft, slightly textured crumb and a jam filling, and in Ceglie it is a symbol of the town. According to the Slow Food Foundation it has been made there for centuries, and it is a staple in local homes at festive times. Traditionally it was also part of wedding favours (bomboniere).

It is not a hard dunking biscuit. Think of a filled almond cake cut into small irregular pieces, sometimes covered with a thin sugar glaze, sometimes with cocoa in the glaze.

What is inside, and why it is a Presidium

• Almonds: partly blanched and partly toasted, then ground.
• Also in the dough: eggs, sugar, honey, lemon zest and rosolio, a citrus liqueur.
• Filling: cherry jam or grape jam.
• Finish: sometimes a sugar glaze, sometimes with cocoa.

The rule that matters is the origin: for the Presidium, all the raw materials must come from the Ceglie countryside. Slow Food explains that industrial almonds from elsewhere have pushed out the local varieties over the years, and the Presidium exists to protect the original biscuit and the crops behind it. It is made all year round.

Where to buy it

The Presidium lists five producers, all in Ceglie Messapica. I am not publishing hours, because they are not officially listed: the Slow Food page has the contacts, so check with the producer before you drive out.

Bar Roma is on the main street, so it is the easiest to fit into a walk. If you want a gift for home, a box travels well in hand luggage, but check the rules of your airline for food.

How to get to Ceglie from Brindisi

Ceglie Messapica is about 36 km from Brindisi in a straight line (Tuttitalia); the road distance is longer, so check a route planner for the day. A car is the practical way: it lets you combine the town with the countryside and with other villages in the province (see villages in Brindisi province and day trips from Brindisi).

Without a car it is possible but slower. Journey planners show no direct train between Ceglie and Brindisi: the options listed use a change and a Ferrovie del Sud Est bus leg, and the fastest connection shown for the opposite direction was 46 minutes. I could not verify the Brindisi to Ceglie timetable, so check the operators (Ferrovie del Sud Est, Trenitalia) and a journey planner the day before, and plan your return carefully.

What to see in Ceglie

The town sits on the last hills of the Murge, at about 303 metres, where the Valle d'Itria meets the Salento plain. Give it two hours on foot.

• Castello Ducale: the symbol of the town, with a square keep about 35 metres tall, round towers and, inside, an atrium and 16th-century frescoed halls. FAI gives no opening hours or prices, so check locally whether and when it can be visited.
• The old town: Piazza Plebiscito with its clock tower, the Chiesa Collegiata, the Baroque church of San Domenico and the narrow lanes of the centro storico, which FAI describes as the best way to feel the town.
• Piazzetta Ognissanti: where the agora of the ancient Messapi is placed.

What else to eat in Ceglie

Ceglie has a strong food reputation. In 2019 the Michelin Guide called it a land of gastronomy and described a restaurant there serving local home recipes such as sagnapenta, orecchie di prete with cacioricotta and tomato, and meats cooked in a wood-fired oven. I would eat lunch there rather than just stop for biscuits. For the rest of the area see what to eat in Brindisi, food experiences in Brindisi and, for something savoury to take home, the best taralli and olive oil in Brindisi.

Back home on the terrace

When I come back from a food trip I open the box on one of the two rooftop terraces at BDS House, make a coffee in the kitchen and eat a biscotto with the afternoon light on the roofs of the old town. With a whole home, you can keep a few for breakfast too. Guests who book direct find a Puglia welcome box prepared by my father waiting for them. Check your dates.