{"id":29458,"date":"2021-03-04T12:43:45","date_gmt":"2021-03-04T11:43:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/?p=29458"},"modified":"2024-03-19T16:43:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-19T15:43:53","slug":"focaccia-crescente-from-bologna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tortelliniandco.com\/en\/focaccia-crescente-from-bologna\/","title":{"rendered":"The crescente, a typical focaccia from Bologna"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever visited Bologna?
\nDo you know or have you ever tasted the local focaccia called crescente?<\/p>\n

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From Pellegrino Artusi (Recipe No. 194) to the Simili sisters, legendary Bolognese cooking teachers, no cookbook does not mention this focaccia. I leave it to the Italian gastronome to introduce it in his own words:<\/p>\n

When I first heard the Bolognese mention a crescent, I thought they were talking about the moon. Instead they were discussing the schiacciata or focaccia, the ordinary fried dough cake that everybody recognizes and all know how to make. The only difference is that the Bolognese, to make theirs more tender and digestible, add a little lard when mixing the flour with cool water and salt.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The origins of the focaccia crescente<\/strong><\/h4>\n

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Crescente originated as a recycling recipe.
\n<\/strong>The word has the same root as the verb\u00a0crescere<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(to rise). In the Bolognese dialect,\u00a0carsent<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0means “growing.”\u00a0And<\/strong>\u00a0the<\/strong>\u00a0name comes from kneading the surplus of the dough<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

That focaccia, enriched with\u00a0ranz\u00e9tt<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0(small cubes of discarded prosciutto crudo with a somewhat rancid taste), was originally the bakers’ breakfast.<\/p>\n

The crescente is a bakery and grocery product already known and appreciated in the nineteenth century when the baker’s shop was often also a grocer with a salumi corner. For that reason, today you can find crescente in bakeries and delicatessens that sell cured meats (the old grocery shops).<\/strong><\/p>\n

After World War II, the Bologna Bakery Association understood the potential of this product. They pushed for introducing top-quality meats in the filling (usually now a mix of pancetta and prosciutto crudo or prosciutto crudo alone) to give a second life to the Crescente focaccia.<\/p>\n

Since 2013, the recipe has been registered at the local Chamber of Commerce to preserve memory, ingredients, and process.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Crescente,<\/p>\n

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Food tips about crescente<\/h4>\n

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That focaccia is low and has a dark crust. What makes it delicious is the flavor of the ground ham mixed with the dough.<\/span><\/p>\n

The recipe is in every way that of a focaccia, except you don’t have to expect much leavening, especially during baking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Should the ham be cubed? No, this is another recipe from the Bolognese school: it is a\u00a0<\/span>taller rising with cubes of bacon or lard<\/span><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to die for.<\/span><\/p>\n

But precisely, it is a different recipe.\u00a0<\/span>The thing about crescente is that the prosciutto crudo, which you can mix with sweet bacon, has to be finely minced.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Crescente is a focaccia you can serve in the bread basket or for appetizers. Even stuffed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Buona cucina, Monica<\/p>\n

Keep in Touch<\/b><\/h5>\n