Orecchiette’s soulmate is undoubtedly the turnip top but there’s also a love story with tomato. They are famous for their round “belly”, which serves to accommodate all the seasoning, hold tight to it and never letting it escape. The Orecchietta is the princess of Apulia and owes its name to its shape which resembles a small ear. They spread across Apulia between the 12th and 13th century, in particular in the city of Bari where they are still called in dialect “strasc’nat”, which literally means “dragged” as they are traditionally prepared by dragging the mass with the finger on a pastry board.
