The most protected and sought after bread: Pane di Altamura

Some consider it the best bread in the world (yes, I know that will start many arguments, even within Italy). So why is it so protected and often considered the best bread in the world? Well, the story goes back to the 1st century BC in Puglia. This bread was eaten by both peasants and royalty, truly bridging the gap and reflecting the entire community of Altamura (Puglia) in Southern Italy.

In fact, there are two forms of this bread. One known as “priest’s hat” (il cappello del prete) which is flatter, and the other is the “overlapped bread” (u sckuanète in local dialect) which is a large, rustic knot.

This bread is so famous not only because of its 3 mm think crust, and nutty and mild sour taste, but also because can last up to two weeks due to its high percentage of water, leaving the bread moist for a long period of time.

Nowadays, its one of the most regulated breads in the world as it was the first to have PDO status, which means that it can only be produced in certain areas around the city of Altamura due to history, tradition, and know-how. In fact, this PDO recognition helps to protect this bread as there have been many attempts to copy it and sell it as the real thing (which would be Italian sounding at that point).