The salentine cuisine is characterized by a lot of local dishes with vegetables and fish. However, also meat has its own importance, especially horsemeat and lamb. Some characteristic local dishes are “pezzetti”, a horsemeat stew in a spicy sauce; the “pitta di patate”, a low pizza made of  mashed potatoes stuffed with onion, capers, black olives, tomatoes and other ingredients; “ciceri e trya", pasta with chickpeas where part of the homemade pasta is fried and put in the end. The “purpu alla pignata”, stewed octopus; the “scapece” anchovies or sardines with bread crumbs and marinading of vinegar and saffron; the “tajeddha” of rise, potatoes and mussels are examples of local fish dishes. It is also typical the “puccia”, bread with olives; the “rustico”, a baked puff pastry with a dough of mozzarella, tomatoes, white sauce and pepper; the “friseddhe” or “frise” ring shaped crisp bread, made with corn flour or barley flour (recently of spelt flour too), horizontally cut at half of the cooking, that must be softened bathing it in water for a little and then it must be dressed with oil, salt ant tomatoes; the “pittule”, spherical/squared off fritters that can be stuffed with tomatoes, capers, anchovies, cauliflowers, turnip tobs. Very renowned is pastry making, more similar to the Sicilian one rather than to the Apulian. There is the “pasticciotto leccese”, short crust pastry filled with confectioner’s custard; the “fruttone”, similar to the pasticciotto, with the difference that the upper part is covered with chocolate and a base of marzipan with on it jam or quince jelly; the “bocche di dama”, marzipan (typical at Easter is a marzipan lamb), the “spumone salentino”, “mustazzoli”, “cupeta”, etc

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