{"id":29784,"date":"2025-10-13T13:14:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/?p=29784"},"modified":"2026-01-31T14:20:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T14:20:14","slug":"invito-al-viaggio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/blog\/invito-al-viaggio\/","title":{"rendered":"Invitation to Travel"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In the past, one of the fast foods of the rural tradition of southernmost Italy was the *frisella* (\u201cfriseddha\u201d in the Salento dialect), also known as the \u201cbread of the Crusaders.\u201d It is said that at the dawn of the first millennium, pilgrims traveling along the Via Traiana to reach the ports of Bari, Brindisi, and Otranto, where they would embark for the Holy Land, used to carry this food with them to face the difficult journey. Easy to preserve, it was prepared when needed by soaking it in seawater and then adding tomatoes and olive oil.<\/p>\n

Later, *frisella* became a typical food of the rural and seafaring culinary tradition of the Heel of Italy. The reason has always been the same: the ability to rely on a quick, nourishing, and wholesome food during long periods at sea or during the hard summer work in the fields, far from home.<\/p>\n

*Frisa* is a ring-shaped bread made from durum wheat (also barley, or a combination in varying proportions), baked twice in the oven (double-baked).<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The dough, obtained by leavening wheat or barley flour with water, salt, and yeast, is worked by hand to make its structure uniform, then cut to the desired size and, according to local tradition, shaped until it takes the form of a diamond. The resulting diamond shape is rolled onto itself into a spiral with a small central hole and then baked in contact with other pieces, in small batches of six to eight shapes.<\/p>\n

In ancient times, a string was threaded through the hole and its ends were tied to form a necklace of *friselle*, making them easier to transport while keeping them protected from moisture.<\/p>\n

After the first baking, each individual piece, still warm, is cut horizontally with a taut string (\u201ca strozzo\u201d), leaving on the cut surface the characteristic irregular texture, resulting in one porous side and one compact side. The two pieces obtained\u2014the lower one with a flat base and the upper one with a curved back\u2014are baked again in the oven to eliminate any residual moisture. *Frisa* was stored in *capase*, clay containers used to protect it from humidity and promote preservation.<\/p>\n

*Frisa* is prepared by soaking it in cold water (*sponsatura*) for a time that depends on personal taste and on the consistency of the baked dough.<\/p>\n

From frisella to couscous<\/strong><\/p>\n

Those pilgrims, once they reached the Holy Land after an exhausting and adventurous journey, probably had the chance to taste another food from the ancient Mediterranean tradition: couscous. A food that was certainly present in those regions, as a legend tells that King Solomon (1011 BC \u2013 931 BC) would indulge in generous servings of couscous to soothe the pains of love caused by the Queen of Sheba.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A humble food and the main source of sustenance for nomadic populations, couscous is a dish that originated in North Africa. Some archaeological discoveries dating back to the ninth century are said to have uncovered kitchen utensils used to prepare couscous.<\/p>\n

During the eleventh century, the Arab-Islamic conquest contributed to the spread of the dish throughout the entire North African region. Economic growth and the development of wheat production accelerated its expansion. Couscous was then brought to Spain, to the southern region of Andalusia, and along the Mediterranean coastline. In a sixteenth-century writing by Fran\u00e7ois Rabelais, it is noted that *Coscoton \u00e0 la Moresque* was widespread and appreciated in Provence.<\/p>\n

Among the places where couscous was adopted and celebrated is Sicily. Here, around the seventeenth century, the Arabs spread it to Trapani and the surrounding areas. Today, couscous is among the island\u2019s specialties, and festivals, fairs, and various events are organized in its honor.<\/p>\n

Couscous grains are made from semolina (coarsely ground durum wheat) or, in some regions, from coarsely ground millet. The semolina is sprinkled with water and worked by hand to form small pellets, which are dusted with dry semolina to keep them separate and then passed through a sieve. The pellets that are too small to form couscous grains pass through the sieve and are again dusted with dry semolina and worked by hand. This process continues until all the semolina has been transformed into the tiny grains of couscous. This procedure requires very lengthy processing. In traditional society, women would gather in groups for several days to prepare large quantities together. Once dried in the sun, the grains could then last for several months.<\/p>\n

In a similar way, *berkukes* pellets can be prepared, which differ in being larger than regular couscous grains.<\/p>\n

As for cooking couscous, according to tradition the grains must be steamed several times, then flavored with broth in a special double pot, the *couscoussier*, which allows the right consistency to be maintained and prevents the formation of lumps.<\/p>\n

FRISCOUS\u00ae<\/strong><\/p>\n

Friscous represents a fusion between *frisella* and couscous\u2014an ideal journey that enhances and unites a dish typical of the Salento culinary tradition with another equally emblematic of many Mediterranean countries.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The dish is based on a selection of semolina and durum wheat flours grown in the Apulian region. The wheat supply comes from a dedicated production, directly controlled by the family-owned farm in the countryside of Ruffano, while the semolina is sourced from selected mills in Puglia.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tThe quality of the ingredients (sourdough starter, re-milled durum wheat semolina, turmeric), the slow leavening process, and the meticulous artisanal production (baking in an olive-wood-fired oven) not only enhance the flavor and taste of Friscous, but also make it particularly interesting from a nutritional standpoint: low calorie intake, an almost total absence of cholesterol, and an extraordinary antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power thanks to the skillful use of turmeric in the recipe.\n\nDrawing on the tradition of *frisella* (*sponsatura*), Friscous is prepared simply by adding cold water, becoming in just a few seconds an excellent couscous\u2014an ideal base for outstanding first or main courses, or for a healthy and wholesome aperitif.\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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@Chefgiramondo<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNo palm oil. Tourism with olive oil. Only the sweetness of the journey. Against the aspartame of pre-packaged tours. Organic experiences. No added sulfites. A honeymoon with nature. Against tourist artificiality. A beauty treatment for the soul. A paraben-free landscape.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Ivan Tronci, a globe-trotting chef who finds his inspiration in the creative forms of the renowned architect Gaud\u00ed, with experience in prestigious European kitchens such as Vilajoya in Portugal and La Petite Nice in Marseille, is sous-chef to the great Heinz Beck. Ivan wanted to pack in his suitcase, along with the tools of his trade, seawater, red earth, and his love for Otranto, Friscous as well.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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We wanderers are accustomed to cultivating amorous desires precisely because they cannot be fulfilled, and that love which would belong to a woman we dissipate by pouring it out upon the village and the mountain, the lake and the abyss, the children on the path, the ox in the meadow, the bird and the butterfly. We free love from its object; love alone is sufficient for us, just as in our wandering we do not seek the destination, but only the pleasure of roaming for its own sake, of being on the road.
\nHermann Hesse, *The Wanderer*.<\/p>\n

A. Vincenti<\/p>\n

\u00a9 All rights reserved<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past, one of the fast foods of the rural tradition of southernmost Italy was the *frisella* (\u201cfriseddha\u201d in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press"],"yoast_head":"\nInvitation to Travel - Petramar\u00e8<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/blog\/invito-al-viaggio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Invitation to Travel - Petramar\u00e8\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the past, one of the fast foods of the rural tradition of southernmost Italy was the *frisella* (\u201cfriseddha\u201d in\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/blog\/invito-al-viaggio\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Petramar\u00e8\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-13T13:14:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-31T14:20:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/10\/mappa-storica-delle-Crociatea6a0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"FrisAdminCousMatteo\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"FrisAdminCousMatteo\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/blog\/invito-al-viaggio\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.petramare.it\/en-us\/blog\/invito-al-viaggio\/\",\"name\":\"Invitation to Travel - 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