Focaccia di Recco

This is not the thick dimpled focaccia found elsewhere in Liguria: it uses no yeast, and two sheets of dough are pulled by hand until nearly transparent, with knobs of soft fresh cheese laid between them, then sealed, torn open in places and baked in a very hot oven for a few minutes so the top blisters and the cheese melts. It carries a protected geographical indication that restricts production to Recco and three neighbouring communes. Local tradition traces it to the Saracen raids, when people fled inland with flour and cheese, though the modern version dates from the late nineteenth century.

What you actually see

• The transparent dough - two unleavened sheets stretched thin by hand.
• The fresh cheese - soft curd laid between the layers before baking.
• The blistered top - torn openings that char in a very hot oven.
• The protected zone - production limited to Recco and three neighbours.

When to go

Year-round; it is served hot and made continuously through the day in the town's bakeries and restaurants. A festival in late May celebrates it.

Honest expectations

It must be eaten hot and immediately; it does not travel or reheat. Versions sold outside the protected zone are usually not the same product.

Nearby

Camogli lies south; Genoa is north along the coast.