The Panigacci of Podenzana

A sometimes a product makes the territory known all over the world, sometimes the product itself surpasses its surroundings in popularity… This is the case with the Panigaccio of Podenzana, a real treasure of the Lunigiana culinary tradition, which has brought the name of the small town between Liguria and Tuscany to be known in almost all of northern Italy.

In their very simple recipe, with dough made from water and flour, and in the method of cooking, on special pre-heated pans, the so-called “texts,” lies all the genius and essence of the territory to which it is linked. The testi, not to be confused with the Pontremolese version, are made of terracotta, handmade by a small local workshop that extracts the clay from a mountain near Podenzana. They are heated over the fire until they take on a very light color, a sign that they have reached the right temperature, and a ladleful of dough is poured over them, stacking one on top of the other so that the product is cooked on both sides.

You get unleavened flatbreads with a circumference of about 12 to 15 centimeters, and they are great eaten with local cheeses and cured meats or blanched and accompanied by pesto or PGI oil and cheese or with a great mushroom sauce.

If you want to taste the real Panigacci, we invite you to go to one of the many restaurants in Podenzana or to the local festival held every August in Gaggio, where there is a beautiful view of Lunigiana.

If you want to learn more, watch this interesting documentary from RaiTre’s GEO program.