The ancient origin and traditionality of this dish can be deduced from its widespread use throughout the province of Lecce, where small variations are often found from village to village. In some towns, for example, it is considered indispensable to cook the rosolaccio plants together with sorrel plants in lapazzu jargon, as recalled by an old saying: ‘paparina, paparina, senza lapazzu cc'è “ndi fazzu”, or to flavour the preparation with aromatic orange peel. In the Capo di Leuca area, this dish is called ‘fritta’, and at one time it was also a kind of ritual meal eaten around roaring bonfires in bucolic celebrations somehow linked to the Lenten period.

It is a well known plant even though the name often says nothing or echoes in the minds of those of us from Salento who grew up with our grandparents; yet it is widely spread throughout most of Europe, northern Asia, southern Africa, the American continent and Australia. We find it along roadsides, or in plots of land where there is seasonal weed care and cleaning. Legend has it that the king of Athens Theseus, before facing the Minotaur, ate it to gain courage and strength. In fact, thanks to the bitter substances contained in the latex, it has digestive and appetising powers, as well as being diuretic and depurative.