Terre dei Trulli, Apulian Taralli from Alberobello
Terre dei Trulli is a family business run by the Casulli family from Alberobello in Puglia, which has been baking traditional taralli since 2007. Small dough rings made from flour, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil, boiled in water and baked until crispy. Not industrial snacks, but authentic Southern Italian craftsmanship.
Terre dei Trulli stands for Apulian taralli from Alberobello, the small town near Bari that boasts the most trulli and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. The Casulli family has been baking this classic Southern Italian snack here since 2007, using exclusively Italian ingredients, with no animal fats or preservatives. Let yourself be whisked away to the crispy South.
In the land of the trulli with the Casulli family since 2007
There is hardly a more Apulian place than Alberobello. The cone-shaped trulli with their dry-stone limestone roofs define the old town, and in the heart of this setting near Bari, the Casulli family has been dedicated to taralli since 2007.
Even the name reveals their love for their home: Terre dei Trulli, which means "Land of the Trulli." Anyone who has walked through Alberobello and seen the white pointed roofs understands why the family calls their bakery this. Here, where Italy reaches furthest into the south, the tarallo is as much a part of everyday life as a bread roll is elsewhere.
These modest yet delicious rings are an essential part of Apulian life. They sit on the table with wine, they go in a bag for on the go, they greet guests as soon as they walk through the door. They are baked according to a recipe that even their grandmothers knew.
What makes a genuine tarallo
A tarallo is a small dough ring made from a few, honest ingredients. Flour, wine, oil – that is the essence of it, yet it involves a great deal of manual labor.
From 4 basic ingredients – wheat flour, white wine, salt, and extra virgin olive oil – a dough is kneaded and shaped into small rings. These are first cooked in boiling water until they rise to the surface, and only then baked in the oven. The more carefully this two-step process is performed, the finer the crumb and the clearer the crunch.
It is precisely this detour through hot water that makes the tarallo what it is: crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and aromatically crumbly in the mouth. Originally, the tarallo was the snack of common people, a durable companion for long days in the fields. Today, it remains a favorite on every aperitivo table.
The fact that the rings turn out so uniform is no coincidence, but a result of practice. Over generations, the hand has become accustomed to the small ring, to the right consistency of the dough, and to the moment when the taralli rise in the water and are ready for the oven. Machines can do many things, but they cannot replace this feel.
Three crispy rings for the aperitivo
With us, you will find 3 types of taralli from Terre dei Trulli, each in a handy 250-gram bag and each with its own character.
There are the classic taralli with olive oil, pure and tender, with 5 percent extra virgin olive oil in the dough – the favorite for any occasion. Alongside these are the taralli with rosemary, seasoned with 1 percent genuine rosemary needles, hearty and savory, which pair particularly well with red wine. And finally, the taralli with fennel seeds, with 1.5 percent whole fennel seeds, fine and anise-like – a classic of the South.
All three share the same dough made of flour, white wine, and olive oil, and all three crumble aromatically in the mouth with the first bite. Consider yourself warned: once you've started, it's hard to stop.
Italian ingredients, no animal fat
Terre dei Trulli bakes its taralli using exclusively Italian ingredients, with no animal fats and no preservatives. This makes the crispy rings naturally vegan.
This makes the difference compared to many an industrial product on the shelf. Where others deep-fry and use additives for shelf life, everything here remains simple: good dough, hot water, the oven. The better the olive oil, the rounder the aroma in the end – and there is certainly no shortage of good oil in Puglia.
So you taste exactly what is inside every bag, nothing more. Honest pastry, just as the South has known it for generations, and incidentally, beautiful proof that enjoyment often requires only a few good ingredients.
There is no big talk here, just good baking. And because the rings are naturally free of animal fats, vegans can enjoy them just as heartily as everyone else at the table – a snack that excludes no one.
Puglia, the granary and olive garden of Italy
Puglia is considered the granary of Italy. Bread, pasta, and pastries have always played the leading role on the plate here.
Added to this is the olive oil: no other region in Italy produces more of it, and increasingly of outstanding quality as well. Fertile soil, a warm, sun-drenched climate, and the surrounding sea allow grain, vegetables, and olives to thrive here, which rank among the best Italy has to offer.
Therefore, a good piece of the Apulian terroir is contained in every bag of taralli, from the sun to the wheat to the oil. It is no wonder that it is precisely in this landscape that such a durable, satisfying snack was created, which adorns the pantry just as well as the festive table. If you are looking for more from the South, you will find what you are looking for in our selection of Italian specialties.
Crispy with a glass of wine
In Puglia, taralli are the classic snack to accompany wine and beer, and that is exactly how we like to serve them.
The olive oil taralli belong to the aperitivo, the rosemary rings to a robust red, and the fennel variety to a spicy white wine from the South, such as one from Cantine Due Palme in Puglia. They also work wonderfully with a cheese or charcuterie board, as a crispy bread substitute that you can always keep in the house. You can find more snack-friendly companions in our salty snacks section.
The bags also make a great little gift, either individually or in a set of three, accompanied by a bottle of Apulian wine and a piece of cheese. That way, a piece of Southern Italy travels to every kitchen, without the need for a plane ticket. And because the taralli stay crispy for a long time, feel free to stock up your pantry.
Simply try your way through the 3 varieties from Terre dei Trulli, ideally on a long evening with friends and a bottle of wine. You are guaranteed to find a favorite.
