Bontà Lucane, crispy savory biscuits from Matera
Savory biscuits from Bontà Lucane are flat, thinly baked pastries from the Southern Italian region of Basilicata, light and crispy to the bite. The name alludes to Lucania, the region's name in antiquity, and the goodness of its land.
Bontà Lucane stands for Italian savory biscuits from Matera, one of the oldest cities in the world, whose historic old town districts carved into the rock have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. Here, the Moliterni family bakes crispy focaccine, crackers, and bruschettine, oven-baked and seasoned with Mediterranean herbs.
From Nonna Maria’s bakery in the Sassi
It all began with Nonna Maria, who ran a small bakery in the Sassi di Matera, the residential neighborhoods carved into the rock. She supplied shepherds and field workers with fresh bread and focaccia. When the farmers were drafted during the Second World War, she tinkered with a durable, crispy pastry – the progenitor of today’s focaccine crackers.
Evening after evening, once the work was done, she went through her recipes. In the end, the dough was hard and dry enough to keep for a long time. Back then, the tomatoes and herbs were still placed on top of her focaccia made of flour, water, salt, oil, and yeast.
Over generations, this idea grew into the family business Moliterni, which has remained true to its signature style to this day. Her grandson Paolo runs Bontà Lucane now.
We chose the rosemary crackers
From Bontà Lucane, we have selected the savory rosemary biscuits for you: flat crackers with dark herb flecks in the dough, packaged in a wine-red bag with a viewing window.
What used to be on top in Nonna Maria’s time is now in the middle of the biscuit: the needle-like pieces are baked inside and provide the savory rosemary flavor. The pieces come out of the bag in colors ranging from light straw yellow to golden brown, uneven in size, with broken edges and fine baking bubbles on the matte surface.
Serve them in a bowl for the aperitivo, on an antipasti board between cheese and salumi, or with a glass of wine in the evening. Place the bowl on the table, and the rest will take care of itself.
Slowly baked, using the quantities from back then
What makes the crackers crispy is the oven and the time they spend in it, slowly baked as the old tradition of the house dictates. This gives them their typical crunch.
The company cites flour made from select wheat varieties and extra virgin olive oil as raw materials, emphasizing that no preservatives or additives are included. "Tradition in the age of technology" is the motto the family applies to their work. This refers to the modern machines and the engineers who maintain them.
From Pancondito to chickpea flour biscuits
The company organizes its baked goods into lines that differ in packaging and format – bags for some, boxes for La Fornaia, in addition to the smaller retail packs.
Focaccine are available with olive oil, rosemary, black olives, and pizza seasoning. The bruschette come with garlic or pesto, the sfogliette with tomato and oregano, and the pancondito with Italian ham. Under the name Arte Sana, the company bakes with spelt flour and chia seeds, hemp flour with poppy seeds, and chickpea flour with a seed mix.
What connects the lines is the dough, which rises naturally. The family has not changed the quantities or ingredients over the generations – savory baked goods for over thirty years.
Between the cave city and the industrial estate
Baking no longer takes place in the alleys of the old town, but on Via I Maggio, where the Zona Paip, the industrial estate on the edge of Matera, begins.
The small bakery of the past has become a company whose products are found on shelves far outside of Italy. Those who wish to explore further will find the country in our Italian specialties. And when the bag is empty, it has served its purpose.
