Fugascina by Nonio pastry

Fugascina by Nonio pastry: Aldo Piazza and the Sweet Centenary of Lake Orta

On the banks of the Lake Orta, in Piedmont, there is a small town that guards a treasure of flour, butter and lemon: Nonius. Here, for over a century, the Fugascina, a dessert that has conquered generations of gourmands. And the name that more than any other is linked to its modern rebirth is that of Aldo Piazza, confectioner of Nonio.

What is Nonio’s Fugascina?

Fugascina is a flat butter biscuit, square in shape, whose name vaguely recalls “focaccia” but which has nothing to do with it: it is not a leavened product, but rather a shortcrust pastry based on butter, flour, sugar and eggs.

According to what Aldo Piazza himself said during cultural events, the Fugascina di Nonio dates back at least to the mid-nineteenth century. At the time, a baker from Nonio prepared these biscuits and took them around the shores of Lake Orta with his bakery van, laying the foundations for what would become the Lake Orta dessert par excellence.

Aldo Piazza and the rebirth of Fugascina

However, it is starting from early nineties that the Fugascina di Nonio knows its widest diffusion. The pastry shop of Aldo Piazza in fact, he began to produce it systematically, taking its name from Nonio to the whole Cusio and inspiring many pastry chefs in the area.

Aldo Piazza was not only a producer, but also a custodian and disseminator of tradition. In 2018, during a cultural event, he personally recounted the history of this dessert, offering a tasting of two versions: classical and with hazelnuts. During the event, a poem dedicated to Fugascina was also recited, which began like this:

“I’m called Fugascina / I’m flat and well-built…”
(They called me Fugascina / I’m flat and well-built…)

A text that testifies to how this dessert is rooted in the local collective imagination.

A secret recipe

The heart of the recipe of the Fugascina of Nonius it is still jealously guarded. Only the basic ingredients are known: butter, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon zest. The lemon itself is the protagonist of a curious detail: the peel is grated into the mixture, while the pulp is used by Aldo to prepare the ice-cream, with a view to making full use of raw materials.

Nonio and Mergozzo: two different Fugascines

In the Lake Orta area there is some confusion between two homonymous desserts. Nonio and Mergozzo they both produce a “Fugascina”, but it is a two different products. Aldo Piazza has clarified the distinction several times: the Fugascina of Mergozzo only shares the name, but “it’s a different dessert”.

According to the official sheet of traditional agri-food products of the Piedmont Region, the Fugascina di Mergozzo is a sweet taller (about 1 cm), irregular rectangular shape (about 6×8 cm), brushed with egg white to retain the aromas and prepared with Marsala and natural yeast. Nonius’ version, on the other hand, has in lemon and vanilla its characteristic aromas, with a strictly secret production process.

How to taste Fugascina by Nonio pastry

Being a biscuit, Fugascina keeps well: in optimal conditions it maintains its aroma for about a week, but the best time to enjoy it is without a doubt the same day of production.

In Aldo Piazza’s pastry shop, the classic version it comes in one color deep golden, crunchy and rich in buttery flavour; version with hazelnuts adds the typical note of Piedmont, in a balance between tradition and innovation.

According to customer reviews, Aldo Piazza’s is considered “the best pastry shop and ice cream shop in Cusio”: there are those who say they travel 135 kilometers every year just to taste “the best and most genuine fugascina”. The place maintains an atmosphere from other times, and Aldo himself is described as a “old-fashioned pastry chef”.

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