Tiella di Riso, Patate e Cozze

Bari and the surrounding Pugliese coast. Tiella (the name comes from the terracotta dish) is documented in Pugliese cooking records from at least the 17th century. The combination of rice, potato, and shellfish reflects the Pugliese tradition of layering the carbohydrate staples of the region's poor with the seafood of the Adriatic coast.

Tiella is the archetypal baked dish of Puglia — a layered casserole of rice, potato, and mussels baked in a terracotta dish with olive oil, onion, garlic, Pecorino, and breadcrumbs. The rice is raw when it goes in and cooks in the mussel liquor released during baking — absorbing the brine and sweetness of the mussels. It is one of the fundamental expressions of Pugliese cucina povera: a complete one-dish meal requiring minimal technique and producing extraordinary flavour.

• Baked rice casserole with broth absorbed during oven cooking — same principle of raw rice baked in a covered dish absorbing liquid to cook; Valencian version uses chickpeas and pork; Pugliese uses mussels → Arroz al Horno Spanish
• Layered grain baked in a covered dish with protein and vegetables — the principle of dry grain absorbing flavoured liquid in an oven is shared in the Greek-Italian Mediterranean cooking tradition → Giouvetsi (Baked Rice/Pasta) Greek

The mussel liquor, absorbed into the raw rice during baking, creates rice with a deep brine-and-sea flavour that no stock can replicate. The potato provides starchy sweetness; the tomato provides acid; the Pecorino-breadcrumb crust is savoury and crunchy. The tiella at the table smells of the sea.