1x4 - Puglia: Saints and Miracles

May 25, 2011

In this final episode of the series, religious sceptic Antonio and fanatical believer Gennaro eat their way along a culinary pilgrimage through Puglia's monasteries, holy shrines and festivals to discover whether food and religion are still as closely linked as they were in their youth. After a pilgrim's picnic, they visit a monastery once as famous for its vibrant produce as for its 2,000-year-old saint's tooth. Here they discover the impact of a more material world on the Catholic religion and Gennaro chooses to spend a night in a friary cell. At the shrine of his personal saint Padre Pio, Gennaro finds himself moved by the religious fervour of the pilgrims whilst Antonio questions the ethics of the religious tourist industry and bemoans its impact on the food available. Later, they join an olive harvest, eat at a straw-fired bread oven and join in a unique celebration of the Day of the Dead where it becomes clear that in this historically poor region, religion is still simple and pure and food is still revered as a gift from God. They cook recipes traditionally associated with religious festivals: Easter lamb with peas, sweet and sour bread salad and double layered panettone and ricotta pudding.