You Say Focaccia, I Say Figassa!

In our family, it was never called focaccia. It was always figassa—soft, golden, salty, and still warm from the oven. That’s how my Nonni said it, how my Nonno said it, and how we say it to this day. It’s a word that comes straight from the heart of Genoa, spoken in the Genoese dialect. To us, figassa isn’t just bread—it’s a reminder of where we come from.

So, Why “Figassa”?

You may know it as focaccia, but in Genoa—and throughout much of Liguria—it goes by another name: figassa (or figasa). This isn’t just a nickname. It’s the product of centuries of language evolving alongside tradition.

The Italian focaccia comes from the Latin “focus,” meaning hearth or fireplace. That’s how this humble bread began: as flat dough cooked directly on the embers. But as Latin turned into Italian, and Italian separated into regional dialects, Genoese gave us figassa.

In this dial: 

- The “foc-” sound often shifts to “fig-”
- The ending “-accia” softens to “-assa”

The result? Focaccia becomes figassa—still the same irresistible bread, just with a distinctly Ligurian accent.

A Word That Tastes Like Home

In Liguria, focaccia isn’t an occasional treat. It’s a daily companion. Locals eat it with coffee for breakfast, folded in half for lunch, or paired with a glass of white wine before dinner. There’s figassa with olives, with onions, or stuffed with cheese (hello, focaccia di Recco!). But no matter how it’s made, the name figassa carries all the weight of history and home.

What’s in a Name?

So the next time you bite into a slice of perfectly salty, olive-oil-soaked Ligurian flatbread, try calling it figassa. It’s how the people of Genoa say it. It’s how generations before us said it. And once you say it, you might find it tastes just a little more authentic.