Pastoralism is one of the activities that have most marked not only the territory but also the Apulian culinary traditions, often closely linked to religious festivals and rites. This is the case of the lamb consumed during the Easter period, the symbol par excellence of the Christian religion and even before that in the Jewish one: the sacrificial lamb appears, in fact, already in the Old Testament.

Always considered a symbol of purity and innocence, sacrificing a lamb to God was equivalent to sacrificing the most precious possessions of the semi-nomadic populations - such as the Jewish one - who drew their main source of livelihood from pastoralism. A rite of great symbolic value, therefore, which brought man closer to God.

Even today, in the Apulian gastronomic traditions, lamb cannot be missing on the tables, especially, but not exclusively, during the Easter period. There are many recipes that see lamb as the protagonist: with peas and egg (brodetto), with cardoncelli mushrooms, with lampascioni, with artichokes ... Or more simply, and classically, with baked potatoes.

Wash the lamb cut into pieces very well, dry it and put it in a large container with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary. Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces and always season them with extra virgin olive oil, salt, rosemary and a clove of garlic. Let the lamb rest for at least half an hour in the marinade (the longer the time, the more tender the meat will be). Grease a baking sheet with extra virgin olive oil and arrange the lamb in pieces and the potatoes. Add the chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Add water until the lamb is completely covered, bake in a preheated oven at 200 ° for at least 40 minutes. The cooking time depends on the size of the pieces of meat. Before completing the cooking, finish with breadcrumbs or, if you prefer, with grated pecorino cheese.