Taralli with fennel seeds

Taralli with Fennel Seeds, delicate rings from Puglia

Taralli with fennel seeds from Terre dei Trulli are the classic snack from Puglia, seasoned with whole fennel seeds. Small dough rings made of flour, white wine, and extra virgin olive oil, boiled in water and baked until crispy. Subtle and anise-like. Not a fried snack, but artisanal baking from Alberobello.

Taralli with fennel seeds are small, savory dough rings from Puglia, baked by the Casulli family under the name Terre dei Trulli, known in Italian as Taralli ai Semi di Finocchio. The dough, made from white wine and extra virgin olive oil, contains 1.5 percent whole fennel seeds, which give the pastry its subtle, anise-like note. In a 250-gram bag, naturally vegan and with a delicate crunch.

Anise-like and crispy

The tarallo crumbles aromatically on the tongue with the first bite: crispy on the outside, crumbly on the inside, with the sweet and savory aroma of fennel in between. Delicate, anise-like, southern.

The whole fennel seeds give this ring its slightly anise-like tone, a classic of the Southern Italian bakery. The olive oil keeps the dough soft, the white wine adds freshness, and the fennel provides that aromatic depth that makes you crave the next piece after every bite. With 1.5 percent fennel seeds, the seasoning is present but subtle.

The rings contain only what Puglia has to offer: wheat flour, white wine, olive oil, salt, and fennel seeds. Terre dei Trulli bakes exclusively with Italian ingredients, completely free of animal fats and preservatives, which is why they are naturally vegan. The more intact the fennel seed, the more beautifully its aroma bursts forth when chewed.

Perfect with a bold white wine

These traditional rings taste particularly good with a bold white wine from the south. The anise aroma pairs well with aromatic accompaniments.

Serve the fennel taralli with a full-bodied white wine from Puglia, such as one from Cantine Due Palme, or with a cool beer. They pair well with mild cheese, cream cheese with honey, or a bowl of olives for an aperitivo. The fennel makes them a snack with character, though they are just as easily enjoyed on their own.

You have one of the 3 varieties from Terre dei Trulli before you. If you prefer them plain, try the Taralli with olive oil; if you like them with a herbal kick, try the Taralli with rosemary from the same producer.

From the Casulli family in Alberobello

The taralli are baked by the Casulli family under the name Terre dei Trulli, in the heart of Alberobello, that Apulian town near Bari which has the most trulli in the region and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

The family has kept the old recipe alive here since 2007. Flour, white wine, salt, olive oil, and fennel seeds are kneaded into a dough, shaped into rings, boiled in water until they rise, and only then baked. It is this double process that creates the typical crunch that a real tarallo requires.

The tarallo has accompanied Puglia for centuries, baked from a few basic ingredients and remaining crispy for a long time. The taralli with fennel seeds are the most refined version of this classic: crispy, anise-like, light. Once you have discovered the sweet fennel between the layers, you will keep coming back for more—a taste that carries the essence of the entire south.

With white wine and cheese platters

Stored in a cool and dry place, the fennel taralli remain crispy for a long time. Serve 2 to 3 rings per person in a bowl with white wine, add them to a cheese platter, or snack on them in between. Once opened, the 250-gram bag is gone quickly—consider yourself warned.