Gravina in Puglia, Puglia
Pettole are soft, yeasted dough balls fried in olive oil until puffed and golden — the Puglian answer to frittelle or beignets. In the coastal Gravina tradition they are filled or served alongside a dipping condiment of desalted anchovies dissolved in warm olive oil with capers and dried chilli. They are the canonical street food of the Immaculate Conception feast in late November–December, eaten hot from the fryer.
Light, airy, slightly chewy fried dough with a yeasty crust, served alongside warm, umami-rich anchovy-caper sauce — communal street food at its most elemental
{"Dough: 00 flour, water, salt, instant yeast (no fat) — very slack at 80% hydration, almost a batter","Long cold ferment (12–18 hours) develops flavour and creates an open crumb inside the crisp shell","Drop by spoonful into 180°C olive oil — they self-roll as they fry","Anchovy sauce: desalt whole anchovies 20 min, dissolve in 50°C olive oil with garlic, add capers","Serve immediately: pettole deflate and toughen within minutes"}
{"Wet hands when dropping dough — prevents sticking without adding flour","For savoury variants, fold diced olives or dried tomato into the dough before frying","The anchovy oil is also excellent as a warm dip for raw vegetables or crusty bread"}
{"Under-fermenting: flavourless, bready interior","Oil too cool — absorbs oil heavily instead of forming a crisp shell","Oversized drops — the interior won't cook through before the outside browns"}
La Cucina Pugliese — Carmela Pomilio