After pesto, the foodstuff Genoa is most famous for is focaccia, which is generally considered to be some of the best in the country.
In my experience, the only focaccia that comes close to it is from Bari (my post here).
A typical Genoese breakfast consists of focaccia and cappuccino, with the bread being dunked in the coffee.
My personal favourite kinds, and the most common, are Normale (salted) or Ciabolla (with roasted onions) but there are plenty of other varieties to work through.
In this city, you are never more than a stones throw from a slice but unfortunately it can often be cold and flabby, so it’s worth putting a bit of effort in to get the good stuff.
The ideal time to eat focaccia is when it’s straight out of the oven and still warm, so I try to arrive as soon as the focacceria opens, or go somewhere with a high turnover. In my experience, the busiest and best place was Panificio Mario at 59 Via San Vincenzo where you take a number from the ticket machine outside and wait to be called.
The queue moves quickly so you only have a short time to choose from the several varieties on offer, including normale, cheese, ham, tomato, potato, onion, sage or olive.
There are also more unusual options such as Focaccia di Recco, a very thin unleavened focaccia filled with cheese, and Focaccia di Voltri, where the bread is sprinkled with polenta flour (first pic).
They all look very tempting.
Focacceria Lomellini, at 57/59R Via Lomellini, specialises in Focaccia di Recco.
Also known as Focaccia al Formaggio, it’s a specialty of the nearby Ligurian town of Recco.
Lomellini is a quiet neighbourhood place, but you can sit down, and they’ll heat it up for you in the microwave if you ask.
Another ubiquitous local street food is Farinata di Ceci, a thin, unleavened pancake made from chickpea flour and baked in big flat pans, which you’ll see on display all over town.
Also popular in the neighbouring coastal areas of France and Tuscany, farinata can be found in many places around the world. I’ve eaten it in Buenos Aires which has a sizable Genovese diaspora (my post here).
Another good takeaway for both focaccia and farinata is Focaccia & Dintorni at 56r Via Canneto il Curto, just off Via San Lorenzo.
As elsewhere, you buy by weight, just stipulating whether you want a large or small slice. They also sell pizza by the metre (al metro) and a sweet chocolate-covered focaccia for dessert.
After Panificio Mario, my most favourite street food place was Gran Ristoro at 27 Via di Sottoripa, a panini sandwich specialist. You’ll know it by the permanent queue outside whenever it’s open.
On display in the front window, there’s a bewildering array of local and national charcuteries, and a myriad of other fillings for you to choose from, and it carries on inside.
I went for a panino with thin slices of Cima alla Genovese, the choice of local Michelin chef Ivano Ricchebono who likes it with aged pecorino cheese and salsa verde, as recommended in this Guardian article on local street food.
Cima alla Genovese consists of slices of slow-cooked breast of veal stuffed with offal, eggs, veg and potentially a multitude of other ingredients. It’s classic cucina povera, a traditional frugal way to use up leftovers.
I wolfed it standing at the bar, with a glass of local dry Malvasia to help it down. Delicious.
If you can’t hack the queue, another great grazing spot close nearby is Friggitoria San Giorgio in Piazza Caricamento, in front of the old port.
Here you can get bright yellow paper cones of deep-fried seafood to take away; anchovies, calamari and octopus dusted in chickpea flour and fried. They proudly state that everything is ‘sfilettato, infarinato e fritto al momento’ (filleted, floured and fried on the spot).
They also sell Panissa, a chick pea pancake similar to Farinata, but cut into strips and deep-fried. It’s okay but a bit too bland for my taste, but it goes well with the deep fried anchovies.
Now for the sweet stuff…