In France focaccia style recipes such as fouaisse or foisse hat are made in Burgundy are considered a daily bread by a significant part of the population and in bakeries are still one of the most popular breads sold. Similarly in the Provence and Languedoc regions fogassa as it is known, focaccia breads are still very popular with bakeries and supermarkets all selling more fogassa than the French baguette, a breadconsidered typical for France.
In more recent times, at least since the medieval ages, the Catholic Church has used focaccia quite extensively during religious festivities, most often during the Eucharist, and the unleavened recipe of focaccia is most commonly used, primarily owing to Christ’s use of unleavened bread during The Last Supper. The tradition derives from the ready availability of focaccia bred and it’s simple, and some say pure recipe untainted with foreign ingredients, and thus coming to represent Christ’s flesh which of course is considered utterly pure and free of sin.
In the 20th century Italian immigrants to the United States brought with them recipes for pizza, bruschetta, grissini, and of course focaccia. Arguably focaccia is no longer strictly the preseve of Italian communities, nowadays it can be found in almost all bakeries and supermarkets. With a wide variety of seasonings, focaccia bread makes a very tasty sandwich bread, and is frequently served with cheese and ham fillings.