Focaccia di Recco col formaggio

Appearance & taste

The focaccia is round, square or rectangular; round ones are at least 25 cm in diameter. At the edge it is less than 1 cm thick. The surface is uneven and full of bubbles, golden yellow on top with dark brown spots or streaks, amber underneath. The upper part is crumbly, the inside soft, and the filling is melted cheese with a creamy texture.

The lightly salted, delicately crisp dough smells of freshly baked bread, milk and fresh cheese. The cheese is mild and has a pleasant, slightly sour note.

Production

The dough is made from soft wheat flour with specified baking properties (W over 300) or Manitoba flour, natural drinking water, extra virgin olive oil and fine salt. The cheese is made from fresh pasteurised cow’s milk; where the milk is processed is not prescribed. It must be creamy without added cream and withstand the heat of baking without becoming stringy, forming bubbles or releasing whey. Its paste is white, soft and without holes, with 48 to 60 % fat in dry matter.

The dough is first stretched apart and then worked further by hand until two intact, wafer-thin, almost transparent layers are formed, between which the cheese is placed. Preparing the dough, filling and baking take place in the area. The focaccia is sold whole or in pieces. As a label, a starch wafer bearing the name “Focaccia di Recco col formaggio” and the words “Indicazione Geografica Protetta” (IGP) lies on top of the dough.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipality of Recco and the neighbouring municipalities of Avegno, Sori and Camogli, called “Valle di Recco” by local historians. It extends from Monte di Portofino in the east to Sori in the west and Avegno in the north.

According to the specification, craft bakers from Recco have made the focaccia in the traditional way since the 1960s and 1970s; the particular way of stretching the dough into two very thin layers can be traced back to the area. Since 1955 the “Festa della focaccia” has been held in the last week of May each year. With the economic boom and the growth of tourism in the 1960s, its fame and demand increased; early Italian gastronomic guides named it in 1968 and 1969 as a typical product of the area.