Focaccia’s story goes much further back than most people think. While many know it as a classic Italian bread, especially from the Liguria region, it actually began thousands of years ago-long before the Roman Empire. According to archaeological findings from November 2024, breads similar to focaccia appeared as early as 9,000 years ago in Neolithic Mesopotamia. This means focaccia is not only a part of Italy’s food culture but also one of the earliest types of bread people made and shared together.
Early focaccia-style breads started as simple, unleavened doughs cooked on hot stones or ashes. Over time, the recipe changed, adding olive oil and other ingredients, showing how people’s tastes and cooking methods grew and changed. Focaccia’s long history shows how people have always looked for tasty and easy foods to share, making it part of many generations’ diets.
What Is Focaccia?
Focaccia is a flat, yeast-risen bread baked in the oven. It is best known for its soft, airy center and crunchy outer crusts. This texture is mainly due to the large amount of olive oil used both in the dough and on the pan. Before going in the oven, bakers press their fingers into the dough, making deep indentations or “dimples.” These keep bubbles from forming and help the oil and toppings spread evenly.
Focaccia is more than ordinary bread. It is very flexible. People eat it as a side dish, use it for sandwiches, or top it with various ingredients. Savory focaccias often have herbs like rosemary or sage, garlic, cheese, or onions. Sweeter types may include honey, sugary toppings, raisins, or lemon zest. Throughout the Mediterranean, focaccia serves as an easy base for many tastes and meals.
Focaccia in Italy
In Italy, focaccia is loved and eaten in many places, but it is especially popular in Liguria, where it’s called “fugassa.” In Genoa, eating focaccia with milk or even with a cappuccino for breakfast is a common tradition. Italians also enjoy it as a snack during the day. Focaccia connects people to their region’s food traditions, with each area creating its version using local touches.
Focaccia started as a basic food for those who could not afford much, including workers and the poor. Its simple, filling nature made it popular and easy to prepare. As time passed, people began making richer versions with more ingredients and toppings. Today, focaccia is not just simple food-it is a symbol of home-style Italian cooking, prized for its warm and friendly taste.
The Meaning of “Focaccia”
Tracing the word “focaccia” takes us back to Roman times and early bread-baking methods. The name comes from the Latin phrase “panis focacius,” meaning “bread of the hearth.” That’s because people originally baked this bread on the hot stones of the household fire.
Origin of the Word
The Latin word “focus” means “hearth,” which was the main spot for cooking indoors. People would flatten dough and place it on or near hot ashes or stones right in the fire. The bread got its name from this straightforward baking method. The first time the word “focaccia” appeared in written Italian was in the 14th century, marking its place in the language and food culture.
How the Definition Changed
While “hearth bread” is still part of what focaccia means, its recipe has changed. Early versions used only rudimentary flour, water, a small bit of yeast, and olive oil. The bread was usually plain and dipped into soups. As the Romans moved across Europe, they spread ideas for making bread that influenced similar styles, including Spain’s “pan de hogaza” and France’s “fugasse.”
Later, people began adding more yeast for lighter breads. Olive oil and different toppings became standard. Today, focaccia comes with all sorts of herbs, cheeses, meats, or vegetables. Although these differences exist, focaccia remains an easy, reliable bread still tied to its oldest traditions.
| Original Ingredient | Modern Addition |
|---|---|
| Crude flour | High-quality wheat flour |
| Water | Water or milk |
| Scant yeast | Dry or fresh yeast, sometimes sourdough starter |
| Olive oil | More olive oil; sometimes butter or lard in variants |
| Salt | Sea salt, toppings, and fillings |
Ancient Beginnings of Focaccia
The path to modern focaccia begins long ago-even before ancient Rome. Early breads were born from need, using basic tools and whatever food was handy.
Bread Before and During the Roman Empire
Some experts think focaccia started with the Etruscans, an Italian people before Rome, while others believe it began in Ancient Greece. Wherever it began, the concept of a simple flatbread was common and practical. Unleavened flatbreads used just flour, water, and salt, and were quickly cooked on hot stones, ashes, or shallow pans.
Romans made “panis focacius” a daily food, giving it mainly to laborers or those with little money. The bread was plain, great for dipping in simple soups. As the Roman Empire spread, so did this food, helping similar breads appear in France, Spain, and more.
What Archaeology Tells Us
Findings from a 2024 study show that simple flatbreads like focaccia were made as far back as the Neolithic era, from 7000 to 5000 BCE. In the area now known as Syria and Turkey, people baked large and seasoned breads using oval clay “husking trays.” These trays helped cook bread dough mixed with animal fat and herbs. So, the idea of baking and sharing flatbreads started much earlier than people once thought, spreading from the Near East toward Italy and beyond.
Flatbreads in Ancient Art
There are few direct images of focaccia in ancient paintings or carvings. However, bread-baking scenes, hearths, and tools are common in old art, proving that shared bread was a big part of life. Even though we don’t have old pictures of focaccia itself, we know that flatbreads like it fed people from all walks of life thousands of years ago.
Myths and Questions about Where Focaccia Began
Because focaccia and pizza both come from Italy and are similar in some ways, people sometimes mix up their histories. Food experts keep discussing which bread actually came first and what makes them different.
The Pompeii Painting: Pizza or Focaccia?
In 2024, a painting found in Pompeii showed a round bread topped with fruit and maybe other additions. Some quickly called it the earliest picture of pizza. But bread experts argued it looked more like a type of focaccia. The main difference is in how each was made. Focaccia was left to rise, then sometimes topped and baked, while pizza was usually a faster bake with more toppings added before cooking. Focaccia’s simpler style and method make it older by about 2,000 years compared to classic pizza.
Ties to Other Early Breads
Flatbreads are found everywhere near the Mediterranean and Middle East, such as Greek “pita,” Turkish breads, and Spanish and French flatbreads. The word “pizza” even comes from the Greek “pita.” Excavations show that bread loaves similar to focaccia were already being flavored and shared 9,000 years ago. So, focaccia isn’t a unique event, but rather one version in a long tradition of shared, baked flatbreads-just taken to new heights in Italy.
Focaccia’s Special Role in Liguria and Genoa
Even if focaccia began long ago and far away, its best-known version came from Liguria, especially in the city of Genoa. Here, local foods and customs shaped the bread into what we know today.
Why Ligurians Are Known for Focaccia
Liguria’s position along the sea influenced its cooking. One key was the region’s high-quality olive oil, which made the bread both rich and crisp. The area’s busy trading history also helped spread and develop new ways to make focaccia, and its sturdy nature made it a favorite for workers and sailors who needed portable, energizing food.
How Genoa Helped Spread Focaccia
Genoa made focaccia, known there as “fugassa,” part of daily life centuries ago. It became a go-to food for breakfast, a snack, or with any meal. Genoese bakers perfected the balance between chewiness inside and a crunchy, slightly salty crust. This made Genoa the main center for focaccia traditions-not just for Liguria, but also influencing bakeries across Italy and elsewhere. When people think of focaccia, they often picture the Genoese style.
| Region | Style/Name | Main Features |
|---|---|---|
| Liguria (Genoa) | Focaccia Genovese | Deep dimples, olive oil, soft inside, crisp crust, salt on top |
| Liguria (Recco) | Focaccia di Recco (with cheese) | Thin dough, local cheese filling |
| Apulia | Focaccia Pugliese | Dough with potatoes, topped with tomatoes, olives, herbs |
| Veneto | Focaccia Veneta | Sweet dough, eggs, sugar, butter (for Easter) |
Focaccia’s Many Styles
Like other Italian classics, focaccia takes on different forms in each region. Liguria has the most famous kinds, but many others exist too.
Ligurian Focaccia and More
The “Focaccia Genovese” is famous for its deep dimples and salty, oily crust. It’s often dipped in milk for breakfast, but it’s eaten all day.
Popular Ligurian and Italian Varieties
- Focaccia Genovese: Marked with lots of olive oil, dimples, and big grains of salt.
- Focaccia di Recco: Very thin dough with cheese (called “prescinsêua”) inside, best eaten fresh and warm.
- Focaccia secca: A dry, crunchy, cracker-like version.
- Focaccia dolce: Sweet, topped with sugar, sometimes raisins or honey (found in northwest Italy).
- Focaccia veneta: A sweet, rich bread for holidays in northeast Italy.
- Focaccia pugliese: Made with potatoes in the dough and topped with tomatoes and olives (from Apulia).
- Piada dei morti: From Rimini, eaten for All Soul’s Day, full of dried fruit and nuts.
Why Focaccia Matters
Focaccia’s path-starting from the fires of ancient Mesopotamia, moving through Roman times, and thriving in Liguria-shows how much food connects different people and ages. Its recipe changed with each new place and ingredient, but it always stayed a bread for sharing and enjoying, whether humble or rich. Every time you eat focaccia, you’re not just having bread from Italy-you’re tasting a slice of history that people have enjoyed for thousands of years.
