Puglia and the broader southern Italian Adriatic coast — friselle are documented from the medieval period as ship's provision (dried twice to resist moisture) and agricultural workers' food (dry enough to carry; water available at any spring for soaking). The connection to the Cretan dakos suggests ancient origins predating the modern nation.
La frisa (or frisella) is the Pugliese twice-baked bread ring — a ring of barley-wheat dough baked once, then split horizontally and returned to a low oven to dry completely to a rusk-like hardness. To eat it, the frisa is briefly submerged in cold water (5-10 seconds, no more — the Pugliese argue fiercely about the exact duration), then dressed with very ripe crushed tomatoes, excellent olive oil, dried oregano, and salt. In summer, when Pugliese tomatoes are at peak ripeness, the frisa is the lunch of the Pugliese peasant, the fisherman, and the contemporary chef. It is the most elemental preparation in the Pugliese kitchen.
Frisa with summer tomatoes and Pugliese olive oil is the taste of a Pugliese August — the barley rusk, slightly yielding and still with resistance, absorbs the tomato juice; the crushed ripe tomato is sweet and slightly acidic; the olive oil is green and peppery; the oregano brings the dry hillside. It is a preparation that cannot be improved. It can only be made with or without the right ingredients.
Use a genuine barley-wheat frisa (available from any Italian food shop — it keeps for months). Briefly immerse in cold water — the timing is critical: too brief and it remains too hard; too long and it disintegrates. The correct texture: slightly softened exterior, still with some resistance. Drain; shake off excess water. Place on a plate. Dress immediately with very ripe, quartered cherry tomatoes (or sliced beefsteak tomato), crushed by hand over the frisa. Drizzle with excellent Pugliese DOP olive oil. Season with sea salt and dried Pugliese oregano. Eat immediately.
The Pugliese debate about soaking time is semi-serious: 3 seconds (very brief, very crunchy result), 10 seconds (soft exterior, resistant core), and 30 seconds (soft throughout) represent three distinct schools of thought. Genuine barley friselle (higher barley content) have a distinctive nutty flavour that all-wheat versions lack. In summer, capunata pugliese (the Pugliese version — not the Sicilian — a simple tomato-olive-caper-oregano salad) over frisa is the peak expression.
Soaking too long — the frisa must be briefly hydrated, not soaked; a disintegrated frisa is a failure. Using inferior tomatoes or olive oil — the frisa is only as good as these two ingredients; in winter, with pale supermarket tomatoes and mediocre oil, it is dull. Dressing and then waiting — the frisa must be eaten immediately after dressing; standing allows the tomato water to make the base soggy.
Slow Food Editore, Puglia in Cucina; Giorgio Locatelli, Made in Italy