In French cuisine, 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 f ...

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 A flatbread is a bread made with flour; water, milk, yogurt, or other liquid; and salt, and then thoroughly rolled into flattened dough. Many flatbreads are unleavened, although some are leavened, such as pizza and pita bread. Flatbreads ran ...

baked in the ashes of the hearth ( in Latin). This became a diverse range of breads that include '' focaccia'' 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 i ...

'' 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 Provence version is more likely to have additions like

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

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 Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

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

, 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