Focaccia

FocacciaTemplate:Efn is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread. It is similar to a flatbread called (Template:Literally) in Roman cuisine. Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it may be round, rectangular, or square in shape.

Etymology

File:Focaccia genovese su tagliere in legno, 1.jpg

A piece of focaccia on a wooden cutting board

In ancient Rome, was a flatbread baked on the hearth. The word is derived from the Latin , 'hearth, place for baking'. 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 dates back to the 14th century.

Focaccia is sometimes considered to be a variant of pizza in publications outside Italy,Template:Efn although focaccia is left to rise after being flattened, while pizza is baked immediately.Template:Efn

Regional variants

Ligurian variants

File:Focaccia Genovese 01.jpg

Genoese

(Template:Literally), marked by its finger-sized holes on its surface called "dimples" ( in Genoese dialect), is brushed or sprinkled with olive oil, coarse salt, and sometimes water before the final rise.

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

File:Focaccia di Recco - Tradizionale.jpg

or , a typical variety of focaccia made in Recco

Focaccia has countless variations along the Ligurian coast, from the biscuit-hard (Template:Literally) to the corn-flour, oily, soft Voltri version.

An extreme example is (Template:Literally), also called or , which is made in Recco, near Genoa. This version has cheese sandwiched between two layers of paper-thin dough.

Other variants

In northwest Italy, a popular variant is (Template:Literally), which is sprinkled lightly with sugar, and may include raisins or honey. In northeast Italy, (Template:Literally) is typical for Easter; it is based on eggs, sugar, and butter. In the city of Rimini, is a sweet focaccia topped with raisins, almonds, walnuts, and pine nuts, and traditionally eaten in November for All Souls' Day.

In the Apulia region, southern Italy, ('Puglian focaccia') incorporates potatoes in the dough, and is topped with tomatoes, olives, and fresh herbs, often oregano.

In South Tyrol and the Austrian village of Krimml, (locally ) 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.

(Template:Literally) 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, sage is also used, and the variant is called .

may have a moist texture, and the exact recipe varies. It may be savory or sweet. It typically is baked, although it is sometimes fried. Garlic or basil may be added. It is sometimes served accompanied with slices of prosciutto. It may be used in the preparation of sandwiches.

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  A close-up view of
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  Slices of
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  with many dimples ( in Genoese dialect)

See also

• Cuisine of Liguria
• Fougasse (bread)