La Tielle Setoise, its origins

The tielle, or “tieulle” as some locals pronounce it. Perhaps you’ve already succumbed to its appearance by appropriating one of them? But do you know its singular history?

It dates back to the end of the 19th century, beginning of the 20th, when many Italians, fishermen by profession, came to settle in the town of SETE.
Many of them came from the town of Gaëte (Gaeta in Italian), located in the province of LATINA, 70 kilometers north-west of Naples and 110 kilometers southeast of ROME, on the Tyrrhenian coast. These fishermen settled in the upper quarters of the town, which had been abandoned by the more affluent inhabitants, who occupied the more sought-after lower quarters.

Life for these people and their families was harsh, and poverty reigned in this community. Food was extracted from the catch brought in by the father. Naturally, the fish most prized by the customers didn’t end up on the family plates. Very often, octopus was on the menu. ” LOU POUFFRE” in Occitan or Francitan. It had to be prepared in a variety of ways.

A know-how born in the port of Sète

One was to roll out a disc of dough, like bread dough, and spread on top a mixture of spicy octopus flesh, skilfully cooked. This mixture was then covered with a second disk of dough and sealed. This preparation was not innate and had its origins in Gaeta recipes. Octopus fishing was so important, in fact, that it became a recurring ingredient in the recipe. Before baking, the pie was placed in an earthenware dish known as a “TEGLIA”.

The future name was already finding its etymology. Fishermen rarely came down to town, and the “belle” of Sétoise society refused to accept tielle as a poor man’s food. Children often went to school with a tielle de pouffre in their satchels, while other Sétois children carried croissants bought at the baker’s. The negative reputation of this little tourte might have lasted, had not an Agde-born resident of Sète changed the course of its history.

Adrienne PAGES was married to a fisherman, Bruno VIRDUCI. The couple ran a stall in front of the Civette harbor. Adrienne therefore had the idea of diversifying her sales, by offering her own pouffre tarts for sale. She would bake them and take them to the local baker, to use his oven and finalize the baking. Success was not long in coming. Sétois families quickly discovered and appreciated these succulent little pies. People kept asking for more. It was impossible for the baker to keep up with this rapid inflation, which Adrienne had instigated. She could never have imagined, when she made her dish, that it would be such a success. So a new oven, dedicated solely to baking tielles, was installed, much to the delight of the Sétois population.

Adrienne’s family and descendants continued to develop the recipe and increase production. It doesn’t take much to turn things around. In any case, we can thank our Agathoise for sharing with us her succulent recipe for a filling so generous and balanced with lightly spiced spices. A speciality to savour during your next stay at a 4-star Campsite in Hérault, between a stroll around the port of Sète and a lazy afternoon on the Mediterranean.

Wouldn’t you like to make your own tielles?

Gourmet tips

Get started with this recipe!

Pate :

• 400grams flour
• 10 grams baker’s yeast 15 minutes baking time
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 10cl olive oil
• 7cl sweet white wine (Muscat)
• 7cl warm water
• A pinch of salt

Octopus stew :

• 1kg octopus (15cl fish stock)
• 15 cl sweet white wine
• 1 can diced crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• Sweet or cayenne pepper
• Safran

Dissolve the yeast in a little warm water. Add a little flour, mix and leave to stand for 20 minutes. The mixture should form a few bubbles. Mix water, oil and wine.

Add tomato paste and salt, then flour and baking powder. Knead for 15-20 minutes. Form into a ball and leave to swell for 2 hours under a tea towel. After cooking the octopus in the fumet, drain, dry and fry for 10 minutes in a drizzle of olive oil. Leave to cool and cut into small pieces. Peel and chop the onion and garlic cloves. Sauté in olive oil in a sauté pan. Add the chili pepper, saffron, tomato paste, white wine and a little fish stock. Bring to the boil.

Add the bouquet garni, tinned tomatoes and a pinch of sugar and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix with the octopus and leave to cool. Preheat oven to 220° (gas mark 7) Roll out pastry (not too thin). Fill small octopuses (or a large one) with half the dough, prick with a fork. Place the ragout on top of the pastry. Cover with the other half of the pastry. Seal well with your fingers and a little water. Brush tielles with a mixture of olive oil and saffron. Bake for 20 minutes for individual tielles and 30 minutes for a large one.

Enjoy your meal!