Focaccia di San Giorgio, the flag of flavour

 

Coop Liguria – a member of the Coop (Italy’s largest retailer) system- has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Genova World cultural association to produce and sell the Focaccia di San Giorgio (i.e., Saint George's focaccia) designed by the association through its hypermarkets' network

Celebrating Genoa and Liguria to make their culinary excellence known worldwide

The aim of the project, which is also supported by the Municipality of Genoa and by Regione Liguria, is to promote a product that can act as an ambassador of Genoa in the world. The Focaccia di San Giorgio features some of the most renowned ingredients of Ligurian gastronomy: focaccia, prescinsêua (a dairy product obtained from curdled milk), taggiasca olives, potatoes, anchovies, and oregano.

Focaccia di San Giorgio – the origins of a project

The recipe of the Focaccia di San Giorgio, named after the famous “red cross on white field” flag (an icon of the Genoese identity), was developed by Umberto Curti, Scientific Director of Genova World. A tourism marketing expert, Mediterranean food and wine heritage specialist, and editor of the Ligucibario® platform, he worked to encapsulate some of the best flavours of the region in a single product. Latte Tigullio, the historic Ligurian brand which produces prescinsêua, has also joined the project.

'The objective,' explains Curti, 'is to promote Genoa as one of the capitals of Mediterranean gastronomy: in this perspective, the Focaccia di San Giorgio represents a city brand. Much is being said about the genius loci (i.e., the spirit of a place), and therefore the cibus (i.e., food) loci...; I like the idea of a 'Genova genius cibi' claim. The recipe is available to anyone who wants to use it - bakers and pizza makers, restaurants, sciamadde, wine bars, agriturismi, food trucks - who can produce it simply by signing a memorandum of understanding with Genova World, just as Coop Liguria has done. The more businesses produce it, the more the idea of making it a true 'ambassador' of Genoa and Liguria will develop, reaching tourists, cruise passengers, journalists, food bloggers, foodies, and students".

"Matching focaccia, an icon of our table, with Saint George's flag, an equally identifiable traditional symbol of Genoa: a city marketing initiative as well as an opportunity to promote Liguria's enogastronomy, befitting our regional promotional strategies," explains Andrea Benveduti, Councillor for Economic Development of Regione Liguria. "I would like to thank Coop Liguria and Genova World for paying homage, with this particular interpretation of the focaccia, to Genoese identity and for providing us with a unique taste experience".

 "Genoa," adds Francesca Corso, Municipal Councillor for Territorial Marketing, "is known, appreciated, and loved around the world also for its food and wine heritage, for its traditions, for the products of a historically rugged territory that has always been difficult to cultivate, caught in the tight embrace between the mountains and the sea; humble, simple ingredients that - over the centuries - have been extraordinarily processed in preparations such as focaccia or pesto, icons of the Italian cuisine. Coop Liguria promotes those who continue to bet on our city and region, engaging in crafts that apparently may no longer belong to the new generations: this is a gesture of closeness to Genoa and Liguria, as well as a winning entrepreneurial intuition".

"As Coop Liguria," explains President Roberto Pittalis, "we have supported the project because it is fully in line with our long-standing commitment to enhancing the territory and local businesses, from which our system purchases over 130 million euro worth of products every year. It is no coincidence that we have chosen to market the Focaccia di San Giorgio in our hypermarkets from September 8th, the starting date of the 'Prodotti in Liguria. Il buono del nostro territorio' campaign, which we are carrying out for the fifth consecutive year, showcasing 115 local businesses, with whom we have been collaborating for many years, respecting and promoting their products. To propose the Focaccia di San Giorgio also in our supermarkets, which are not equipped with bakery workshops, we are working with our supplier Tossini on the development of a pre-processed product to be then completed in the shops".

'A good 40 years ago,' adds Mario Restano, Latte Tigullio's Marketing Director, 'the former Centro Latte Rapallo reintroduced prescisêua, a typical local product that until the 1970s was hardly available, to the Genoese public and not only. We are therefore delighted that the 'Focaccia di San Giorgio' project enhances this excellent product together with Coop Liguria, with whom we have been collaborating for many years".

The recipe

Focaccia di San Giorgio

The recipe of the Focaccia di San Giorgio is simple. Start making classic focaccia, topped with thinly sliced potatoes and baked (soak potato slices in iced water the night before). Once out of the oven, focaccia is topped with narrow strips of prescinsêua (previously worked with a whisk and arranged in a lozenge shape using a sac à poche), with anchovies in oil, drained taggiasca olives and a final sprinkle of oregano.

The choice of these ingredients is a tribute to all the areas of Liguria and their most typical products: moreover, it results in a balanced product that features all four main flavours: the sweetness of the potatoes, the acidity of the prescinsêua, the sapidity of the anchovies, the bitterness of the taggiasche olives, as well as the aromatic note of the oregano. The recipe was developed in collaboration with allergist Paola Minale, a member of Genova World, too.

The recipe is illustrated in a short video commented by Umberto Curti, which can be viewed both on the Coop Liguria website (liguria.e-coop.it) and the Genova World website (genovaworld.blogspot.com/).

A project for schools

Coop Liguria's long-standing commitment to proposing free educational activities to schools on the themes of food, environment, and active citizenship, united under the Saperecoop programme frame, led to collaboration with Genova World in the creation of the educational project "Bank of traditions - The journey of food", which will offer children "food for thought" on the journeys made by food to reach our tables, including those of foods that today are true cornerstones of our gastronomic tradition but come from very far away.

The initiative will feature in Coop Liguria's educational proposals for the 2022/2023 school year. For further information, please browse www.saperecoop-liguria.it.

Genova World

Genova World is a non-profit cultural association of professionals that, in a spirit of service, collaborate with local organisations, enterprises and institutions to safeguard and promote Genoese and Ligurian cultural resources. It devises and/or collaborates on initiatives with particular reference to genius loci, biodiversity, heritage, food&wine and crafts. President: Luisa Puppo, Vice President: Paola Minale - both of them Honorary Ambassadors of Genoa in the World since 2018. Scientific Director: Umberto Curti, academic and essayist.

Coop Liguria

Founded in Savona in 1945 and grown through the merger of many Ligurian cooperatives, Coop Liguria is a consumer organisation in co-operative form that operates 55 shops in Liguria and lower Piedmont and employs 2,700 people. With just under 400,000 members, it is the largest cooperative organisation in the region.

As social responsibility is an integral part of its mission, Coop Liguria enhances local businesses, protects the environment, supports schools, supports associations engaged in the fight against poverty, and promotes local culture and traditions.