THE CALZONE, DON'T CALL IT PANZEROTTO!

One of the classic Lecce street foods is definitely the fried calzone. It is very popular in Central and Southern Italy, and in the rest of Apulia and in Basilicata it is known as panzerotto. The name calzone, on the other hand, unites Lecce and Salento to southern Calabria (the province of Reggio Calabria) and to Sicily. A closeness that is also found in the dialects and in the vocal cadence of these geographically distant areas. The calzone dough is the same that is used for pizza, which is spread out to form a small circle, about 20 cm in diameter, stuffed with tomatoes, mozzarella and oregano; the dough is then folded in half to form a crescent, and fried. There is also a variant cooked in the oven, but if you want to taste the real calzone, let yourself be tempted by the fryer.