Collection · 23 recipes
Focaccia is Italian to its core, but its oily, dimpled crumb is a generous canvas for flavors from far beyond Liguria. These recipes borrow seasonings from the Levant, North Africa, South and East Asia, and the Americas — honestly, as inspired focaccia rather than a claim on another cuisine’s bread.
Each keeps the focaccia method and lets a distinctive spice, cheese or topping lead. Where a tradition has its own bread, we point to it and keep the names straight — see our Turkish, Indian and Mexican focaccia guides.
Herbal, tangy za'atar oil and briny olives over a tall, airy focaccia — the sumac-and-sesame aroma of a Levantine spice blend on a pillowy Italian crumb.
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Herbal, tangy za'atar oil and briny olives over a tall, airy focaccia — the sumac-and-sesame aroma of a Levantine spice blend on a pillowy Italian crumb.
Read the recipeWarm, smoky Ethiopian berbere bloomed in olive oil over jammy caramelized onions — chili heat, fenugreek and cardamom on a tall, airy focaccia.
A vivid Moroccan chermoula — cilantro, parsley, garlic, cumin and paprika — spooned over the crust after baking, with bright salty preserved lemon in the crumb.
Mellow garlic confit baked into a tall focaccia, then finished with a glossy, crunchy spoonful of Chinese chili crisp for numbing-savory heat.
Sweet roasted peppers baked into a soft focaccia, then flooded with raw Argentine chimichurri — garlic, parsley, oregano, and red-wine vinegar — the moment it comes out of the oven.
Sweet, caramelized roasted carrots on a soft focaccia, finished with a crunchy shower of Egyptian dukkah — toasted hazelnuts, sesame, coriander and cumin.
Charred sweet corn and salty cotija baked into a pillowy focaccia, then finished with chile-lime, crema, and cilantro the way a paper cup of elote hits you all at once.
The garlicky, herb-flecked aroma of a garlic naan — lots of minced garlic, fresh cilantro and toasty nigella seeds — on a tall, buttery focaccia.
Sweet-spicy gochujang glaze over roasted, pre-cooked mushrooms on a tall focaccia — savory, umami and glossy with a sesame finish.
Molten pockets of ruby guava paste and tangy cream cheese baked into a lightly sweet focaccia — the flavors of a guava-and-cheese pastelito in a pillowy loaf.
Smoky, garlicky harissa swirled with salty preserved lemon and a warm caraway-coriander hum over an airy focaccia — North African heat on a pillowy Italian crumb.
Tangy, spicy drained kimchi and scallion caramelizing into a tall focaccia with a savory, gently funky, sesame-touched finish.
Cool, tangy labneh smeared over warm focaccia and piled with crisp cucumber, ruby sumac, mint and a slick of green olive oil — a fresh, mezze-style open focaccia.
The spiced potato-and-pea filling of a samosa — cumin, turmeric, amchur and green chili — pressed into a tall, olive-oil-rich focaccia.
Savory-sweet miso butter melting into a tall focaccia, scattered with scallion and toasted sesame for a deeply umami, nutty finish.
Garlicky citrus-marinated pork and soft sweet onions baked into a tender focaccia, brightened with a spoon of raw Cuban mojo and oregano after the oven.
Sweet-smoky roasted red pepper and walnut muhammara with a tang of pomegranate molasses, swooped over a warm focaccia and showered with toasted walnuts.
Bird's-eye chili heat, garlic, lemon and smoked paprika from the Portuguese-African peri-peri tradition, over pre-cooked chicken on an airy focaccia.
Warm, floral Moroccan ras el hanout — cinnamon, cumin, coriander, rose and ginger — over sweet roasted squash on a tall, airy focaccia.
Smoky roasted poblano strips and pools of melting queso baked into an airy focaccia — the mild-chile, creamy-cheese comfort of rajas con crema in bread form.
Spiced spinach and mustard greens cooked down and squeezed dry, dotted with soft paneer over a tall, olive-oil-rich focaccia.
Nigerian yaji — a nutty, smoky suya spice of ground peanut, ginger, chili and paprika — over pre-cooked beef and onion on an airy focaccia.
Smoky yogurt-marinated paneer, warm garam-masala heat and charred cubes of cheese pressed into a tall, olive-oil-rich focaccia.