Taralli with olive oil

Taralli with olive oil, crispy rings from Apulia

Taralli with extra virgin olive oil from Terre dei Trulli are the classic savory snack of Apulia. Small dough rings made from flour, white wine, and olive oil, boiled in water and baked until crispy. Crispy on the outside, crumbly on the inside. Not a deep-fried snack, but honest artisanal baking from Alberobello.

Taralli with olive oil are small, savory dough rings from Apulia, baked by the Casulli family under the name Terre dei Trulli. In Italian, they are called Taralli Tradizionali Pugliesi and come in their purest form, with just 5 percent extra virgin olive oil and a dash of white wine in the dough. In a 250-gram bag, naturally vegan and with that fine crunch that defines a true tarallo.

Crispy on the outside, crumbly on the inside

The tarallo crumbles aromatically in your mouth with the very first bite: crispy on the outside, crumbly at the core, with a well-rounded olive oil flavor. Simple, savory, honest.

Because the dough contains 5 percent extra virgin olive oil, these rings taste soft and delicate, without any overpowering seasoning. The white wine provides a subtle acidity that keeps the snack fresh, and a pinch of salt rounds it off—nothing else is needed.

There is almost nothing in these taralli, yet they contain everything that makes Apulia what it is: wheat flour, white wine, olive oil, salt. Terre dei Trulli uses exclusively Italian ingredients, with no animal fats and no preservatives, which is why the rings are naturally vegan. The secret to their crispiness is not a mystery, but rather patience in kneading, shaping, and double-cooking.

Crispy for aperitivo

In Apulia, taralli are the classic accompaniment to wine and beer. These unadorned, pure rings are made exactly for that purpose.

They belong on the aperitivo table, alongside a cold beer or a spicy white wine from the south, for instance from Cantine Due Palme in Apulia. The taralli enjoy company: they go wonderfully with a cheese platter, antipasti, or a slice of air-dried ham—a crispy bread substitute that you should always keep on hand.

You have one of the three varieties from Terre dei Trulli here in front of you. If you like it spicier, try the taralli with rosemary; if you prefer an anise flavor, try the taralli with fennel seeds from the same maker.

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 possesses the most trulli in the region and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

The family has been keeping this old recipe alive here since 2007. A dough is kneaded from flour, white wine, salt, and olive oil and formed into small rings. These are first cooked in boiling water until they rise to the surface, and are only then baked in the oven. This double process is exactly what creates the typical crunch that a genuine tarallo requires.

The tarallo has been a companion to Apulia for centuries, and little has changed in how they are made. Using only four ingredients, a snack is created that stays crispy for a long time—once a provision for long days in the fields, today a favorite on the aperitivo table. These taralli with olive oil are the most puristic version, the standard against which their seasoned siblings are measured.

Crumbled as a crouton substitute over salad

Stored in a cool, dry place, the plain olive oil taralli stay crispy for a long time. Serve 2 to 3 rings per person in a bowl with wine, crumble them over a small salad as a savory crouton substitute, or simply snack on them as they are. Consider yourself warned: once opened, the 250-gram bag disappears quickly.