Focaccia is a Flatbread leavening agent oven-baked Italian cuisine bread.
Etymology
In
ancient Rome, panis focacius
was a flatbread baked on the
hearth.
The word is derived from the
Latin focus, 'hearth, place for baking'.
[ Oxford Latin Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982, 1985 reprinting, p. 718.] The basic recipe is thought by some to have originated with the
Etruscans, but today it is widely associated with
Ligurian cuisine, while outside Liguria the word usually refers to the Genoese variants.
The first attestation of the word focaccia dates back to the 14th century.
Focaccia is sometimes considered to be a variant of pizza in publications outside Italy, although focaccia is left to rise after being flattened, while pizza is baked immediately.
Regional variants
Ligurian variants
Focaccia genovese
Focaccia genovese (), marked by its finger-sized holes on its surface called "dimples" (ombrisalli in
Genoese dialect),
is brushed or sprinkled with
olive oil, coarse salt, and sometimes water before the final rise.
[Massimo Alberini, Giorgio Mistretta, Guida all'Italia gastronomica, Touring Club Italiano, 1984, p. 192.]
In Genoa, focaccia is eaten in the morning at breakfast or during the day. It is often dipped in milk or in cappuccino at breakfast and eaten warm and wet.
Other Ligurian variants
Focaccia has countless variations along the Ligurian coast, from the biscuit-hard focaccia secca () to the corn-flour, oily, soft
Voltri version.
An extreme example is focaccia con il formaggio (), also called focaccia di Recco or focaccia tipo Recco, which is made in Recco, near Genoa. This version has prescinsêua cheese sandwiched between two layers of paper-thin dough.
Other variants
In
northwest Italy, a popular variant is focaccia dolce (), which is sprinkled lightly with sugar, and may include
or
honey.
In
northeast Italy, focaccia veneta () is typical for
Easter; it is based on eggs, sugar, and butter. In the city of
Rimini,
piada dei morti is a sweet focaccia topped with raisins,
,
, and
,
and traditionally eaten in November for All Souls' Day.
In the Apulia region, southern Italy, focaccia pugliese ('Puglian focaccia') incorporates Potato bread, and is topped with tomatoes, olives, and fresh herbs, often oregano.
In South Tyrol and the Austrian village of Krimml, Osterfochaz (locally Fochiz) is a traditional Easter gift from godparents to their godchildren. It is made slightly thinner in the centre so that dyed eggs may be placed there.
Focaccia al rosmarino
Focaccia al rosmarino () is topped with
rosemary.
It may be served as an
antipasto, table bread or snack.
Whole or sliced fresh rosemary leaves may be used,
as can dried rosemary.
It may be garnished with sprigs of fresh rosemary, after baking,
and sprinkled with salt.
Potato rosemary focaccia is sometimes called "potato pizza" in New York City.
Although rosemary is the most common herb used to flavor focaccia,
Focaccia al rosmarino may have a moist texture, and the exact recipe varies.
File:Focaccia con rosmarino.jpg|A close-up view of focaccia al rosmarino
File:Focaccia al rosmarino.jpg|Slices of focaccia al rosmarino
File:Focaccia al rosmarino with dimples.png|Focaccia al rosmarino with many dimples (ombrisalli in Genoese dialect)
See also
-
Cuisine of Liguria
-
Fougasse (bread)
Notes
Further reading
