Typical dish of Messina
Messina-style focaccia
Tall, soft, and generously topped, Messina-style focaccia features a golden, airy dough filled with a fragrant mixture of curly escarole, soft tuma cheese, savory anchovies, and tomato. Each bite offers a perfect balance between the milky sweetness of the cheese, the vegetal freshness of the greens, and the briny note of the anchovies. The edge is lightly crisp, while the inside remains moist and aromatic. In Messina it’s enjoyed at any hour: for a quick lunch, an afternoon snack, or as an irresistible evening bite.
Season: Tutto l'anno€5–8
Why it matters
Messina-style focaccia is one of the most recognizable gastronomic symbols of the city of the Strait. In the historic focaccia bakeries of the city center it is prepared daily and forms part of everyday life for the people of Messina, almost like an urban ritual. More than just street food, it is a marker of identity that reflects the bond between popular tradition, local ingredients, and conviviality.
Origin story
The recipe took hold in Messina between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the city’s bakeries, evolving from rustic Sicilian focaccias enriched with simple, readily available ingredients. The combination of escarole, tuma cheese, and anchovies emerged from the meeting of products from the inland countryside and the waters of the Strait. Over time it became a codified local specialty, passed down by historic focaccia bakeries and still prepared today according to artisanal rituals.
Typical ingredients
farina di grano teneroscarola ricciatumaacciughe sotto salepomodoroolio extravergine d'oliva
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