Puccia alla Tajedda is a typical product of Pulsano's culinary tradition, a symbol of local culture and territorial enhancement. The etymology is uncertain: the open debate plagues the Accademia della Crusca itself, but the most accredited conclusion suggested by the dictionary would indicate that the term “puccia” derives from the Latin buccĕlla(m) type of “poor bread” while the term “tajedda” refers to the Pulsano dialect “teglia.” The link to “tajedda” is not rooted solely in etymology, but in family history itself: in a historical context in which ovens for baking food were scarce, the baking pan represented the family, each person going with his or her own to the nearest oven in order to bake the puccia.
In an economy mainly based on the primary sector, thus an agricultural economy engaged in the cultivation of vines for Primitivo di Manduria, the hard days in the fields took away time and energy. To recover them, farmers needed a hearty and inexpensive meal: puccia alla tajedda was thus configured as the right compromise. The recipe has been passed down orally from generation to generation, which is why there is no single version. Generally speaking, the sine qua nons useful to identify the product are the ingredients: onions or sponsali, celline olives, tomatoes, capers, and country EVO oil; and the related procedure: a dough strictly closed on itself.
The link that the typical product has with the territory of origin allows us to appreciate its history, the authenticity of the ingredients and to show the importance of local resources and how they are necessary and specific in the production and transformation process of the product itself.
The Puccia alla Tajedda is the story of generations who have contributed with their work to the notoriety of the country, of the economic development of agricultural activity and that results in the use of its territorial resources. The combination of all these aspects allows the consumer to become the bearer of a culinary heritage to be transmitted and promoted beyond the place of origin, generating a qualitatively positive current of the product that not only retains the power of “typical” but acquires that of “identifying good.”
