Pitta di Patate Barese al Pomodoro e Origano

Bari, Puglia

A potato pizza unique to the Bari area: a thick, yielding dough enriched with mashed potato (replacing much of the wheat flour), pressed into a well-oiled round pan, dimpled with fingertips, dressed with fresh tomato, olive oil, dried oregano, and black olives, then baked in a hot oven until the surface blisters and the bottom is golden and crisp. Related to focaccia barese but distinct — the potato creates a much softer, almost cake-like interior.

• Thin, intensely oiled flatbread baked in a well-oiled pan until the bottom crisps — the same pan-fried bread base → Focaccia di Recco al formaggio Ligurian
• Dimpled, olive oil-rich flatbread with a crisp bottom and soft interior — different hydration, same technique → Pizza bianca romana Roman
• Thin flatbread with fresh tomato topping baked at high heat — the same principle of fresh tomato on hot dough → Lahmacun on pide stone Turkish

Soft, potato-enriched interior with a deeply golden fried bottom, topped with blistered tomato, wild oregano, and olive oil — the Barese answer to pizza, entirely its own