The dish is typical of Barile, a comune (municipality) in the province of Potenza where Albanian Christians settled in the 15th century to escape the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans.[1] Its preparation was historically connected with particular events such as weddings, Saint Joseph's Day and Christmas. Despite its Arbëreshe origin, the dish has blended with local cuisine over time.
A local festival (sagra) dedicated to the dish has been held since 1997. In 2018, American Express cited the sagra among "10 amazing Italian food festivals".[5]
With ministerial decree of 25 February 2022, tumact me tulez entered the list of traditional Lucanian agri-food products (PAT).[6]