Focaccia takes its name from the Latin “panis focacius,” or “hearth bread”: A lightly yeasted flat bread baked on coals or a hearth to create a filling accompaniment to dip into soups, stews, olive oil or vinegars.
It is thought to have originated with either the Etruscans or ancient Greeks at the beginning of the first millennium BC, but is now widely associated with the Ligurian (Genoa) cuisine of Italy. As the Romans expanded their empire they took the idea of focaccia with them to France and Spain and from there it spread around the world, with each culture putting
