Crudo
Puglia is the breadbasket of Italy; their fields of wheat and vegetables feed the wealthier parts of Italy and the world. The region's traditional foods were born from poverty, which makes their cuisine particularly comforting. The people are hard-working farmers who don't go to restaurants, but cook at home with the crops they've grown. Their expertise in the kitchen comes from the generations who preceded them, which is a story you'll hear over and over in Puglia.
The story is the same with the Schiralli family. Their farm just outside of Bari was started in the 1920's growing tomatoes, almonds, fennel, grapes and one of Puglia's signature olives, Ogliarola. The family now has 8,000 olive trees on 20 acres of gorgeous land in the foothills.
Their oil is named Crudo, in a nod to their traditional method of production that ensures a completely unadulterated finished product. The olives are grown, harvested and pressed on their farm using a process that minimizes oxidation and helps to produce a pure oil rich in polyphenols.
