Foggia Food Markets & Italian Food Shops For Cooking

Foggia is an excellent place for food shopping, especially if travelling on a budget. The markets, small specialist shops and supermarkets had some great choices, and meal times were interesting. I found the food quality and options in Foggia to be special. During my visit, I used many ingredients for the first time, including some mentioned on the Puglia Guys Twitter feed.

My usual morning routine was to head to the Foggia outdoor market and see what caught my eye, pop to a cafe bar, have an Italian beer, and then decide what to purchase.

Foggia Farmers Market

The farmers’ market is a pretty cool place to visit and is rather vibrant and smells wonderful. There are 100s of stalls selling all sorts of regional produce, including cheese, cured meats, fruit and vegetables.

Apparently the market runs from 5:30 am until 1 pm, but I find mid-morning to be the best time for choices and nothing running out. At the sides of the market, there are some fishmongers and butchers which are also handy for meal creation.

During our visit, we got a bit addicted to the local peaches and nectarines and always brought a kilo or two. These were great value snacks that tasted fantastic. There were many stalls selling these, with prices from 0.5 to 3 euros per kilo.

I loved the vegetable stalls at Foggia markets and tried loads of different options during our stay. The onions and garlic were very aromatic and were great for sauces. The tomatoes were particularly special, including the bright red pomodoro, which I frequently used in salads and other dishes. Other vegetables I enjoyed included peppers, green beans and squash.

One of my favourite stalls was those that sold olives and sun-dried tomatoes, which make excellent companions for the local Italian cheeses. We tried various sun-dried tomatoes, including very dry ones and those sold in olive oil. The variety of olives available here was excellent too, including some huge black ones.

There are also some good cheese stalls in the farmers’ market, which had lots of options. We enjoyed fresh mozzarella, burrata, cacioricotta and pecorino foggiano. My favourite stall was the cheese truck, which also sold excellent ciabatta. Most cheese stalls also stocked cured meats, including salami and prosciutto.

For flavouring, I found many places selling fresh and dried herbs. This included big bunches of fresh basil and some very nice dried oregano. I also enjoyed a local blend, which included herbs, chilli and dried garlic.

Food Shops Including Bakeries & Supermarkets

RossoTono

The nearest supermarket to our accommodation in Foggia was RossoTono, so I visited it lots to purchase food and drink. This store had lots of nice food, including the essentials. Some of my standout purchases here include various cheeses and breads for lunches. Their Nduja from the deli counter was also fantastic and is a great base for tomato sauce. I got the suggestion from the Puglia Guys on Twitter. Also from the deli, their seafood salad was special, with lots of niceness. We also went through many of their Italian sausages. Some of the fat, coarse ones were fantastic, as was the spicy sausage.

Mercati di Città – La Prima

A place I enjoyed shopping at despite it being a bit of a trek is Mercati di Città – La Prima. They have a fantastic fresh food section for cheese, meats and vegetables, which I utilised. A notable purchase included some bombette, a popular street food dish in Puglia made from pork stuffed with cheese. Their fresh pasta was also good and quite good value. As a bonus, they sold Peroni Gran Riserva chilled from the fridge by the cashiers, a nice treat for the walk home.

Frutta & Verdura Angelo

Frutta & Verdura Angelo is a fruit and vegetable shop that also sells some sundries. Their fruit was pretty special, including their watermelon. You can purchase whole fruits or bowls of prepared fruits, which was a nice treat. Their vegetables and tomatoes were also of good quality. Other purchases here included dried pasta, some herbs and focaccia barese for a snack. As a bonus, they sell beer and have outside seating to enjoy the said drink.

Panificio San Pio Bakery

My favourite bakery in the city was Panificio San Pio, which was close to where we stayed. Their bread was excellent, and I enjoyed many options here. I also enjoyed their focaccia, which made for an excellent lunch. They also had delicious cornettos, including these filled with cream or chocolate.

International Market

Another shop I enjoyed visiting was the International Market, a short walk from the station. This place was great for spices from around the world, and I picked up a few to take back to Romania. I also cooked with their madras spice blend while in the city.

Panificio San Michele Di Ferrantino Giuseppe

Another bakery I frequented during my stay in the city was Panificio San Michele Di Ferrantino Giuseppe. Their bread was also excellent, my favourite being the small soft bread rolls, which I enjoyed with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. Their pizza slices were also good for a snack on the go.