Fogassa de Cavaion De.Co.
Fogassa de Cavaion De.Co.
The De.Co. - Denominazione Comunale di Origine “Fogassa de Cavaion” -was established in 2015 in the spirit of the Milan Expo, reflecting the municipality’s commitment to promoting and enhancing its local specialties. This traditional dessert is inseparably linked to Garda DOP olive oil, the key ingredient defined in the official De.Co. production guidelines.
A humble sweet rooted in popular cuisine, fogassa su la gradela was a quick and simple treat that could be prepared with whatever was on hand. Its basic ingredients sugar, flour, milk or wine, and olive oil, were staples found in every household, often measured by instinct rather than scale: a couple of handfuls of flour, half a glass of oil, and so on. Variations of this sweet flatbread were common across the Verona area, traditionally cooked on a grill over open embers in the hearth.
Today, although open fireplaces have largely disappeared from modern kitchens, the dessert is still prepared using a grill over coals or on an electric stovetop. In the very beginning, the recipe was passed down orally from mother to daughter and never written, which explains the many variations in ingredients and proportions. Nearly every family had its own version shaped by taste and tradition. In 2015, the Municipality of Cavaion formalized an official recipe and granted the dessert De.Co. status Di Origine Comunale under the name and trademark “Fogassa de Cavaion.”
Since then, thanks to the dedication of volunteers from Pro Loco San Michele and several local businesses, the fogassa has become a culinary ambassador of Cavaion Veronese, appreciated by visitors and tourists alike.
Where to find it in Cavaion Veronese
Recipe
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Fine salt
- Sugar
- Garda DOP extra-virgin olive oil
- Whole milk
- Lemon
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cook time: 4 minutes
- Cooking: 6 minutes
- Serves: 4 person
- Cost: Low
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 kg all-purpose flour
1 packet baking powder
2 tsp fine salt
330 g sugar
330 ml Garda DOP extra-virgin olive oil
330 ml milk
Zest of 1 lemon
Variation
Milk can be substituted with white wine in equal quantity:
330 ml milk or, alternatively, 330 ml white wine.
Method
Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and grated lemon zest in a bowl and mix well. Add the milk and olive oil, then knead by hand until a smooth dough forms.
Divide the dough into 5 to 8 portions, as desired, and roll each piece out to a thickness of about 1 cm.
Cook the flatbreads on both sides until grill marks appear. Once cooked, cut into diamond shapes and sprinkle with sugar.
Traditionally the focaccia is grilled over embers on a metal rack known locally as a gradela. As an alternative, it may be cooked on an electric grill.
