Focaccia
Flat leavened Italian bread with ancient Roman origins.
Focaccia is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar to a flatbread called pizza bianca in Roman cuisine. Its etymology traces to ancient Rome's panis focacius, a flatbread baked on the hearth, with the word derived from the Latin focus ('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, and outside Liguria the word usually refers to Genoese variants.
- type
- Flat leavened oven-baked bread
- origin
- Italy (associated with Ligurian cuisine; ancient Roman roots)
- first_attestation
- 14th century
- key_ingredients
- Olive oil, coarse salt, water (basic); varies by region
- known_for
- Finger-sized dimples on surface; eaten at breakfast in Genoa; countless regional variants
Lore & Background
Focaccia's history reaches back to ancient Rome, where panis focacius was a flatbread baked on the hearth. The word itself comes from the Latin focus, meaning 'hearth' or 'place for baking.' While some believe the basic recipe originated with the Etruscans, focaccia is now most strongly tied to Ligurian cuisine, particularly the Genoese variant. The first written record of the word focaccia dates to the 14th century. Outside Italy, focaccia is sometimes considered a variant of pizza, but a key difference is that focaccia is left to rise after being flattened, whereas pizza is baked immediately.
Reader's Guide
Focaccia's significance lies in its deep roots in Italian culinary tradition and its remarkable regional diversity. In Liguria, the Genoese version (focaccia genovese) is defined by its finger-sized dimples and is eaten at breakfast, often dipped in milk or cappuccino. Along the Ligurian coast, variations range from the hard, biscuit-like focaccia secca to the soft, oily Voltri version, and the cheese-filled focaccia di Recco. Beyond Liguria, sweet variants appear in northwest Italy (focaccia dolce) and for Easter in the northeast (focaccia veneta). In Apulia, potatoes are incorporated into the dough, and toppings include tomatoes, olives, and oregano. In South Tyrol and Austria, Osterfochaz is a traditional Easter gift. Focaccia al rosmarino, topped with rosemary, is widely served as antipasto, table bread, or snack. The bread's adaptability—savory or sweet, baked or fried—and its role in regional identity make it a staple of Italian bread culture.
Did You Know?
- The word focaccia derives from the Latin focus, meaning 'hearth, place for baking.'
- In Genoa, focaccia is eaten at breakfast, often dipped in milk or cappuccino.
- Focaccia is left to rise after being flattened, while pizza is baked immediately.
- Focaccia di Recco features prescinsêua cheese sandwiched between two layers of paper-thin dough.
More in Baking 1-24
Elsewhere in the Baking universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record