Bombette — Pork Rolls Grilled over Charcoal

Valle d'Itria, Puglia — particularly the triangle of Alberobello, Locorotondo, and Cisternino. The bombette tradition is specifically associated with the macellerie-grill tradition of these towns, where the butcher shop sells raw meat for home cooking and simultaneously grills preparations for immediate consumption.

Bombette (little bombs) are the defining street food of the Valle d'Itria in Puglia, particularly associated with the trulli country around Alberobello, Locorotondo, and Cisternino: small rolls of thin-sliced pork shoulder or neck (capocollo), stuffed with a piece of aged Caciocavallo or Canestrato Pugliese cheese, wrapped around a small amount of minced pork and herbs (parsley, black pepper, sometimes a sliver of lardo), secured with a toothpick, and grilled over charcoal until the pork is golden and slightly charred and the cheese inside has melted. They are sold at the macellerie (butcher shops) that double as grill restaurants in the Valle d'Itria.

Bombette from the grill are small, dense parcels — the exterior is charred, fragrant with olive wood smoke, and slightly caramelised from the pork fat. Inside, the cheese (Caciocavallo or Canestrato) has melted into a dense, savoury pool. The pork is juicy and slightly smoky. With a piece of rough bread, bombette are the definitive simple pleasure of the Pugliese countryside.