A rough and tumble port city, Bari’s charm lie in its culinary culture, especially several unique street food items.
Foodie Bari
For me, Bari is the most exciting food city in all of Puglia. And, it has one of the best street food scenes in all of Italy. From the carbtastic Focaccia Barese to the hangover preventative Sgagliozze to the pasta made in an alley, Bari captivates with its energy.
Spaghetti all’Assassina
Before we get to street food, let’s talk about the most unique dish in Bari.
To make Spaghetti all’Assassina, the pasta, instead of being boiled in water, is cooked directly in the tomato sauce, preferably in a cast iron skillet. Sauce is added, a little at a time, like risotto, and the sauce thickens as the it cooks the pasta. The hot cast iron pan caramelizes the spaghetti, giving the dish its characteristic charred appearance.
The name Spaghetti all’Assassina comes from the fact that the sauce is made with chili flakes, supposedly leading customers to claim the chef is trying to kill them with spice and heat! But, truth be told, while the dish can be a little spicy, it rarely rises to the level of tongue-burning.
The origin of Spaghetti all’Assassina is debated in Bari. Some say chef Enzo Francavilla created the dish in 1967 at his restaurant Al Sorso Preferito, which is still open today. Others say it originated at Marc’Aurelio restaurant which is, unfortunately, no longer open.
Throughout the late 60’s and the 1970’s, Spaghetti all’Assassina was incredibly popular with the local Barese population. But, in the 80’s, the dish began to fade, thought of as old and uncool.
Recently, however, there has been a huge Spaghetti all’Assassina revival. Groups like the Accademia dell’Assassina (men only) and Contraccademia (women only) were formed to keep alive the heritage of Spaghetti all’Assassina in Bari. These groups meet to taste and discuss the different versions of the dish. And, the The Spaghetti all’Assassina International Academy works to raise the profile of the spicy dish worldwide.
Books have also featured Spaghetti all’Assassina in their plotlines. La casa nel bosco (“The House in the Woods”), a 2014 novel by Gianrico and Francesco Carofiglio, mentions the dish as an example of Puglian frugality.
In 2015, Gabriella Genisi’s novel Spaghetti all’Assassina revolved around the murder of a chef who was an expert at preparing the dish.
Stanley Tucci also featured the dish on his TV series “Searching for Italy.”
Today, there are tons of places in Bari that offer Spaghetti all’Assassina.
Read the entire Bari, Italy Foodie Travel Guide
About the Author
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including several to Italy and did a Foodie Travel Video to Bari. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.
