Taralli are a recent culinary obsession of mine. It all began one evening when I received an impromptu invitation for dinner from a friend, who set up a quick aperitivo, too: a glass of white, some parmesan cubes, and cold cuts accompanied by a bowl filled to the brim of taralli. While I had them before, I had never really thought much about them, but that evening changed my mind entirely. 

Crunchy, tasty, and somehow indulgent in their simplicity, taralli are small, round, and fragrant morsels of bread dough, enriched with olive oil and white wine. They can be also flavored with things like chili peppers or fennel seeds, as well as olives or onions. They are traditional of Puglia, the heel of the Italian boot, but today they are common across the country.