Focaccia Bread - A Piece Of
Italian History

Focaccia bread has ancient origins and its traces date back to the second century BC. It was already prepared by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks, made with grains like barley, rye, millet. The name of the focaccia comes from the Latin "focus", that is "cooked on fire".

Focacce were offered to the gods by the Latins and consumed together with wine at weddings, in the Renaissance. Today focaccia means thinking about the Italian region creator of the real legends, Liguria, which, with its numerous types of Focacce has established itself in the gastronomic world.

In Genova in 1500 the consumption of simple focaccia with oil was familiar and widespread as well in churchs, especially during weddings, at the time of the blessing of the couple and during funeral functions.

Every Moment Has Its Focaccia

It has been often the breakfast of many Italians, tasting it seasoned with olive oil and salt or drenching in the "caffelatte" is a special feeling. In Genova mothers give children a small piece of Focaccia to eat because it stimulates teething.

It's simply a bread dough seasoned with a significant amount of fat consisting of olive oil, butter or lard. The base of the focaccia bread dough can be further enriched with herbs, onion, bacon, olives, nuts, etc.

It can be combined with cooked vegetables or a salad, to "reduce" salt and calories and increase satiety index, becoming an acceptable meal in terms of calories. The classic pan in which focaccia is cooked is called "lama (blade)", a large rectangular container with very low borders; at home, a simple pan for pizza can be used and a wood oven would be perfect.

Taste From Mediterranean Sea

In Italy there are several cities and regions specializing in the production of focaccia: Liguria is definitely the region with more tradition from this point of view. The two most famous are the expressions of the Ligurian focaccia are the one made in Genova, followed by the Recco cheese one. Throughout Liguria every bakery offers focaccia (fugassa) and its differently seasoned variants.

Genoa claim authorship of the Focaccia bread made with a bread dough which is not higher than 2 cm, seasoned with olive oil and enriched with rock salt, herbs, and other ingredients such as onion or olives. The Recco focaccia is made from a not leavened bread dough which is very thin and filled with fresh cheese (as crescenza), closed again and then fired.

In the South of Italy and especially in Apulia, focaccia is flavored in several ways: with extra virgin olive oil, olive pomace oil or olive oil. The peculiarity of Apulian focaccia is the presence of cherry tomatoes, which bring it closer to the pizza as a kind of seasoning, and using boiled potatoes in the dough, making it softer and giving it a special taste.

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