The cialledda is a poor dish that contains all the flavors of Puglia and Basilicata: bread, tomato and extra virgin olive oil, all accompanied by cucumbers, watermelons and barattieri.

The cialledda is Puglia, it's the sun, it's our land!

Also called "the reaper's breakfast", the cialledda is a typical summer dish, a great classic of peasant cuisine. The basis of this dish is the quality of the products we will use: the oil which is extra virgin, perhaps organic and of excellent quality; stale bread, preferably from Altamura or Matera, with a thick crust and compact crumb; tomatoes that are in season, therefore tomatoes grown in the open ground and in the hot sun in summer!

The origin of the dish, as already mentioned, is peasant: the cialledda was a "breakfast" that was easy to prepare and transport.

In my memories as a child I see my grandmother "closing a clean piece of stale bread with some tomatoes in a clean cloth; water was always at hand and therefore preparing a "wild" cialledda was very simple: it was enough to "spragnate" (squeeze) the tomato on the freshly soaked bread and eat it there under a tree in search of a bit of refreshment.

Also called acquasale (I heard it called that in Castellana Grotte) or cialda, cialledda is prepared quickly and, as we said, with poor ingredients like all recovery dishes.  Very similar to the panzanella, the cualledda does not, however, require the use of vinegar to soften the bread.

It is a fresh and light dish that can be accompanied by good mozzarella or cheese, all accompanied by good wine.

The cialledda can also be hot and therefore called pancotto: pieces of stale bread boiled in broth or water accompanied by seasonal vegetables and bay leaves (today it is still used for weaning newborns) very used on cold winter evenings.
Like all traditional recipes, the cialledda can also be customized: you can replace the bread with the FRISELLE , add olives, tuna or boiled eggs. 

The recipe I am about to tell you about is the original cialledda recipe, to which, however, each family adds and subtracts according to their own tastes and needs.  Whether cold or hot, the ingredient that you simply cannot do without to prepare a good cialledda is extra virgin olive oil which goes well with all the ingredients.

I leave you some suggestions:

Use good, stale homemade bread that is at least 4/5 days old
If you don't like the pungent flavor of onions I recommend keeping them in cold water for at least half an hour
Use fresh native ingredients, preferably organic and locally sourced
As for the tomatoes, you can use the ones you prefer, the "hanging tomatoes" are also excellent.
Let the cialledda rest for at least half an hour before serving
You are not sparing with the oil
If you intend to prepare the cialledda not too far in advance, I advise you not to wet the bread (resting and waiting would make the bread too soft, compromising the final result)
For an even fresher and crunchier note, I suggest the version with celery to add to the other ingredients

Funny note:

in my city Conversano the term "cialledd" is used to mock disorderly people who "do things" in an approximate and confusing way.  They say: "you don't do things in cialledd or you don't do the cialledd" (aimed at women), "codd iè nu cialedd (aimed at men): in both cases it is certainly not a compliment! It is of an invitation to seriousness and order, an invitation to "do what you are doing" in an orderly and serious way without confusion like the cialledda that "s mett tott n'zim" that is to mix everything together. Now let's get to this uniquely delicious dish!

RECIPE: https://cucinaconmegraziellaeraffaele...

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