French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the r ...

, fougasse (in occitan ''fogaça'') is a type of

bread Bread is a staple food prepared from a dough of flour (usually wheat) and water, usually by baking. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cultures' diet. It is one of the oldest human-made food ...

typically associated with Provence but found (with variations) in other regions. Some versions are sculpted or slashed into a pattern resembling an ear of wheat.

History and etymology

In ancient Rome, ''panis focacius'' was a flatbread baked in the ashes of the hearth ( in Latin). This became a diverse range of breads that include ''

focaccia Focaccia ( , , ; lij, fugassa ; nap, label= Barese, fecazze ) is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, similar in style and texture to pizza; in some places, it is called ("white pizza"). Focaccia can be served as a side dish or as sandw ...

'' in Italian cuisine, ''hogaza'' in Spain, ''fogassa'' in Catalonia, ''fugàssa'' in Ligurian, ''

pogača Poğaça is a type of bread baked in the ashes of the fireplace, and later on in the oven, similar to focaccia. Found in the cuisines of the Balkans, it can be leavened or unleavened, though the latter is considered more challenging to make. It ...

'' in the Balkans, pogácsa in Hungary, ''fougasse'' in Provence (originally spelled ''fogatza''), '' fouace'' or ''fouée'' in other French regions and on the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey ...

. The Provence version is more likely to have additions like olives,

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

, garlic or

anchovies An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water. More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...

. There is also in Portugal the ''fogaça'', a sweet bread. In Brazil, ''pão sovado'' is a typical big fougasse, while a recipe, typical of the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo and surrounding regions, that is halfway between fougasse and

bolillo A ''bolillo'' () (in Mexico) or ''pan francés'' (in Central America) (meaning "French bread") is a type of savory bread made in Mexico and Central America. It is a variation of the baguette, but shorter in length and is often baked in a stone ...

(in these regions known as ''pão francês'' or ''pão-de-sal''), somewhat resembling a savory small

brioche Brioche (, also , , ) is a bread of French origin whose high egg and butter content gives it a rich and tender crumb. Chef Joël Robuchon described it as "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and e ...

, is called ''pão suíço''. They are perhaps the sweetest of savory artisanal bread recipes commonly made in Brazil. Fougasse was traditionally used to assess the temperature of a wood fired oven. The time it would take to bake gives an idea of the oven temperature and whether the rest of the bread can be loaded (hence the French phrase "": "do not burn the fougasse"). Fougasse is also a type of pastry from Monaco that is topped with almonds and nuts.

Use in dishes

It is used to make the French version of

calzone A calzone (, , ; "stocking" or "trouser") is an Italian oven-baked folded pizza, often described as a turnover, made with leavened dough. It originated in Naples in the 18th century. A typical calzone is made from salted bread dough, baked in a ...

, which can have cheese and small squarish strips of bacon inside the pocket made by folding over the bread. Other variations include dried fruit, Roquefort and nuts or olives and goat cheese. It is known by extension as a fougasse.

References

{{French bread Occitan desserts French breads Olive dishes Anchovy dishes