Focaccia al formaggio, often described as a specialty of Recco, likely originates less specifically within the entire Mount Portofino region, which also includes Camogli, Sori, and various other small mountain towns. People in these areas were historically menaced by pirate attacks and invasions, the earliest recorded in 934 C.E., when Saracen raiders from North Africa sacked and burned Genova. Such attacks continued throughout the medieval era, on both Genova and Liguria at large, with Barbary pirates picking up much of the slack in later centuries.
During one of these incursions, residents of the Mount Portofino region sent their elderly, women, and children up into the mountains, with the intention of removing them from immediate threat. In the hills, the Ligurian locals had more safety but fewer resources, forcing them to adapt their food preparation to what was available. Enter focaccia al formaggio, a barebones dish consisting of two slim sheets of focaccia, with a layer of soft cheese spread thinly between the dough. This focaccia’s dough skips yeast, consisting of flour, water, oil, and salt. The original recipe used a soft, fresh sheep's cheese obtained from bartering with the mountainous region’s many shepherds. Nowadays, instead of sheep's cheese, the recipe calls for stracchino, a soft brie-like cow's cheese, which is spreadable, lusciously creamy and addictingly delicious. The focaccia is baked until the top layer is golden brown and crisp and the cheese begins to bubble a bit. In the early 1900s, to gain tourist interest in a 'specialty' food, the beachside town of Recco began advertising this as “focaccia al formaggio di Recco,” garnering an unmerited association with a dish that more fairly encompasses the entire surrounding area.