The history of the Farinella of Putignano
from the fourteenth century to the present day. The simple and hearty food of the farmers
It is said that as early as the 18th century, Farinella arrived in the cookbooks of the cookery masters of the noble palaces as an ingredient to obtain dishes then defined as "noble". It was used by the gentlemen, plain on pasta with sauce, on well-seasoned vegetables, combined with boiled potatoes or seasonal fruit, and even as a dessert by mixing it with sugar.
It was instead, in 1902, when the political debate between socialists and conservatives, between Giolittiani and anti-Giolittiani became stronger and stronger, due to the peasant riots in the area and the relative harsh repression put in place by the police. The contenders resorted to flour of chickpeas and barley to stigmatize the attitudes and positions of the opponents. The honorable Giolittiano Vito De Bellis, a native of Gioia del Colle, made a sort of praise of this "dust" to defend the work of the mayor of Putignano during those riots, and, in this regard, he ended up earning the appellative of "honorable della farinella".
Grazie alle proprietà nutritive e al forte apporto calorico, i contadini consumavano la farinella nella pausa pranzo delle intense giornate di lavoro nei campi. Lo mangiavano tal quale, oppure con acqua, olio e sale, oppure accompagnato, a seconda del periodo, con fichi freschi o secchi. Portavano con sé la farinella in un sacchetto di stoffa chiamato "u vol'z" in cui c'era anche un cucchiaio. Data la consistenza farinosa, lo hanno ingoiato accompagnato solo da lunghi sorsi di vino o acqua per evitare il rischio di soffocamento.