Fragrant, fresh, soft, crunchy, fragrant, good: those who say bread think of this and much more. The history of the people of Altamura and this part of Murgia is the child of the white and baking tradition, in which gestures and rituals are repeated unchanged.
An art that is synonymous withidentity and pride for the city of Altamura, and it is everyone’s duty to pass it on as best they can, respecting tradition and the end consumer.
There are basic steps that have been repeated forever and ever, as have the emotions and feelings that accompany this ritual. Some people make bread: the work at night, the toil, the sacrifice, the skillful movement of hands, the attention, the care and the passion. And there are those who buy that bread that signifies belonging, family, memories and the habit of gathering around a table and blessing that fruit after hours of hard work in the fields.
But bread today is also culture, tourism, sensory experience, popular narrative, storytelling of a territory (to use the language of contemporary times).
What makes Altamura the home of good bread and good living is an indissoluble union between the use of certified durum wheat flours, sourced only and exclusively from Apulian wheat, and the craftsmanship of native bakers in processing and transforming a unique end product.
“Bread represents our identity, our essence.”
: these are the recurring words of Gino Picerno, at the helm of PanBiscò together with his three sons, and who has served two terms as president of the Consortium for the Valorization and Protection of Altamura Bread. A reality, that of PanBiscò, in which the values of family and territory are rooted with the idea of promoting and enhancing the value of bread, and witnessed by an idea of a company that is constantly evolving with new ideas and products in line with consumer tastes and habits. Reliability and professionalism at the service of those who choose its product range and repeat purchase.
And now, does buying bread have the same value? The same raw materials and native durum wheat varieties grown in the Murgia plateau are used to have a quality product. The preparation of the bread sees the repetition of the same processing steps every day, first entrusted to women and now to Altamura’s master bakers.
There is a great responsibility to protect this product that our ancestors handed down to us. It tastes good, healthy and genuine: it speaks of us, of our generous land and of all those who have gone before us and brought this product steeped in history down to us. It speaks of love and tradition to be defended and passed on.
Because this is who we are, and it is good to let others and ourselves know and proudly remember it every day.
