Gaeta, Lazio/Campania border (claimed by Pugliese diaspora)
The double-crusted focaccia of Gaeta (Lazio/Puglia border) filled with preserved tuna and capers, or escarole with olives and capers, or octopus and tomato — a sealed bread pie that travels beautifully and keeps all day. Made from a lightly enriched olive-oil dough, rolled into two discs, filled, sealed at the edges, brushed with olive oil, and baked until deep golden. Named for the town of Gaeta on the Tyrrhenian coast, it is claimed by both Lazio and Campania but represents the travelling food of southern Italian fishing culture.
Savoury, briny from tuna and capers, with olive oil richness in the golden crust — the definitive southern Italian portable food
The dough must be tender (olive oil-enriched) but strong enough to contain a wet filling without soaking through — a slight underhyration compensates for the moisture the filling releases. The filling must be thoroughly drained of excess liquid before use. The top crust must be pressed firmly against the bottom crust at the edges to prevent bursting during baking. Slashing the top before baking releases steam from the filling.
Tuna tiella is the classic road-food version: high-quality oil-packed tuna, capers, and black olives with a thin layer of tomato. For octopus: cook the octopus in white wine first, reduce the liquid, and use both meat and sauce as the filling. The tiella improves after 1-2 hours as the filling's flavours steam into the bread — ideal for picnics and travel.
Wet filling breaks through the bottom crust and burns on the oven floor. Under-sealing at the edges causes the filling to burst out during baking. Over-enriching the dough with oil makes it too soft to hold the filling's weight. Not draining tuna or octopus before use saturates the crust from within.
La Cucina della Puglia — Accademia Italiana della Cucina