Fougasse (bread) Fougasse (bread) In French cuisine, fougasse is a type of bread typically associated with Provence but found (with variations) in other regions. Some versions are sculpted or slashed into a pattern resembling an ear of wheat. In ancient Rome, "panis focacius" was a flatbread baked in the ashes of the hearth ("focus" in Latin). This became a diverse range of breads that include "focaccia" in Italian cuisine, "hogaza" in Spain, "fogassa" in Catalonia, "fugàssa" in Ligurian, "pogača" in the Balkans, pogácsa in Hungary, "fougasse" in Provence (originally spelled "fogatza"), "fouace" or "fouée" in other French regions and on the Channel
History of Provence Roman Emperor Justinian ceded all of Provence to the Merovingian kings. The Merovingians were the first northern European rulers to govern Provence. They had their capitals in Soissons, Metz, Paris, Orléans, and Reims, and rarely visited the south. After 561, Provence was split between two distant Merovingian kings; Sigebert I, the king of Austrasia, ruled Marseille, Aix and Avignon, while Guntram, the King of Burgundy, ruled the eastern part of Provence. The second half of the 6th century was a terrible time for Provence; the region suffered continual conflicts between the two kings, attacks by Lombards and Saxon raiders, and