IISS Mauro Perrone Castellaneta, Italy, Mr. Roberto Rocco 

  APULIAN TRADITIONS AROUND THE TABLE

If you are lucky enough to be invited to lunch or dinner by an Apulian person,

never refuse. Anything put on the plate must be accepted and at the end of a

course, especially a pasta course, you have to make the "scarpetta".

The dilemma of the "scarpetta" (little shoe) which is an all-Italian expression

and cannot be translated into other languages, brings back to the greedy

habit of collecting the sauce left on the plate with a piece of bread.

But the etiquette puts a spoke in the wheel, because it is an unprofessional

action. Although many do not give up the shoe to prolong the pleasure of

the dish just eaten. Even the chefs appreciate the gesture of the shoe

because it is a sign of having liked the dish.

Making the shoe is a nice expression that finds its origin in the dialects of southern Italy.

Actually there are two origins: one is a sort of metaphor and compares the

shoe that is worn to the bread that passes on the plate. As the shoe crawls on

the ground and collects what it finds, the same way is done with the morsel of

bread that collects the sauce. The second origin, on the other hand, refers to the

word “scarsetta”, or poverty, which many years ago forced people to be satisfied

with what was there, usually very little and therefore cleaned up the plate because

there was hunger.

And it is rude to get up from the table. You only have to get up when you

have finished eating. Dinner is between 7:30 pm and 9:00 pm, but also

later. Never show up or arrive at the restaurant as early as 6pm.

At 6pm you can have the inevitable aperitif with friends at the bar with

a spritz and some snacks (olives, taralli, peanuts ...) 

Last not least, pizza must be eaten with your hands and not with

cutlery, in fact even when an Italian uses cutlery he is asked "Aren't you Italian?"

edited by DOMENICA MANSUETO