Cokes are a type of very typical elaboration of the Mediterranean area, and especially individuals in Catalonia. These consist of a very popular dough also in Aragon, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands and Andorra.
This versatile preparation (which takes the form of base elongated and flattened) admits both sweet toppings (such as coca de Sant Joan) and salty, but one of them is completely transversal, as is the recap coke.
Coca de recapte is specifically a salty dish that is made with a flour dough as a common denominator. This kind of flattened bread is covered with vegetables, usually roasted, apart from some fish, such as sardines.
Coca, in a salty version, receives many names in the entire Mediterranean area, from the area of Lleida to Alicante. Among the most common names are those of coc, recap coke or just salty coke.
In Terra Alta they are called cocs honey and butter; in La Segarra and Urgell, aubergine and roasted pepper cocas; in Segrià and La Noguera, cokes of recapte; in Amposta, apple cocs; in Vinaros, cocs angel hair, and in Alicante, corn coca. The variants are, in fact, many.
A sample of ‘cócs’
These cocas are a reason for meetings and meetings at fairs and gastronomic days that seek to protect what is already gastronomic heritage, such as the Aplec of Tàrrega cócwhich adds up to no more and no less than 35 editions and is the most important of those held in the area.
In this meeting, which is held in spring, more than twenty exhibitors show their traditional creations, with escalibada, zucchini, sanfaina and herring next to most innovative proposalsall with the support of the Guild of Bakers of Terres de Lleida and the Guild of Pastry of Lleida.
Italian or Arabic origin?
With a great tradition in the provinces of Lleida and Tarragona, although it is consumed in all areas of Catalonia, this dish has look like pizza that have made researchers think that their origins point in that direction, and that they would have arrived in this area of Catalonia imported from Tuscany in the fifteenth century.
However, other researchers link these cocas with the influence of the Arab community, historically established in these areas, and with a strong presence in its gastronomy of these same ingredients and production techniques.
Flour of another cost is the origin of the base coca, a preparation that was invented, according to the experts, thanks to the use of bread dough that it had not swollen.
on top of this leftover any ingredient could be addedsweet or salty and, instead of throwing it away, use it as a dessert or snack, which is the utility that has actually ended up having the recap coke.
This is consistent with the majority of bakeries’ practice of putting the cakes in the oven as the first pieces to be baked, since they do not need a preheated oven at high temperatures and a heatstroke.
healthy plate
The result of this whole process is a healthy and balanced dish, as it has a lots of vitamins and fibershand in hand with vegetables, and proteins from animal ingredients, as well as carbohydrates from bread.
In addition, its use is totally versatile because in this area it is consumed in all meals of the day: it is an appetizing breakfast as it is conceived as toast with something on top; It is a perfect snack at noon to kill hunger, and it is also a light meal or a very interesting starter.
There are who they eat it as a snack to hold out until the night, but also those who eat it as a fresh and fairly Light thanks to its relative ease of digestion.
The difficult thing about this dish is to combine its immense variety in a single conception, since it is prepared from north to south, consumed hot or cold, a bit hardened, and is made throughout the year based on the seasonal ingredients of each area. In fact, this coca has its own calendar based on the evolution of seasons and seasons.
The recipe
The traditional recipe for this coca requires 400 grams of flour; 150 grams of water, 20 grams of pressed yeast, 10 grams of salt, four sliced onions, three roasted pepperstwo roasted aubergines, two sliced ripe tomatoes and four herrings (substitutable by other fish or meat), apart from oil and salt.
For its preparation, it is enough to undo the yeast in warm water and add salt, forming the classic volcano with the flour and mixing everything. As in any bread, you have to work this dough and let it rest (covered with a napkin) until doubled in volume.
Meanwhile, you can prepare the sauce with the onion and tomatoes, and once the pasta can be stretched, do the same and spread over this sofrito and previously roasted vegetables. It will be necessary to add the herrings and a jet of oil before baking to cook.
Apart from its traditional version, this coca also knows gluten free versions and without lactosesince it really is a very transversal and traditional dish and it is in demand among all types of audiences.
Some experts in its elaboration
Gus’t
The Gus’t pastry shop in the Lleida town of Tremp prepares this type of coca in its establishment and does so with a new recipe that maintains the traditional ingredients.
Gus’t. de la Vall, 19 Tremp, Lleida. T. 973 65 42 11.
Righetti Forners
Based in the Barcelona town of Gavà, the artisan bakers with their own workshop Righetti Forners, winner of the Best Pan de Payés award in 2014, have specific seasonal proposalslike those with escalivada, or those at Easter with sardines.
Righetti Forners. C. Cap de Creus, 30, Gavà, Barcelona. T. 936 62 01 35
Pastisseria Escrià Borges
The Lleida bakery Les Borges Blanques Escribà Borges prepares a recap coke aesthetically perfect according to tradition. “The friday nights they are nights of coca de recapte”, they proclaim.
wrote Borges. Av. de la Sardana, 6, Les Borges Blanques, Lleida. T. 973 14 29 51
Fleca Rebull
In the Girona town of Olot, Fleca Rebull, specialized in bakery since 1933, and also in gluten-free specialties since 2019, makes a coca de recapte reference for the inhabitants of the area. In this case, share the gluten-free version.
Fleca Rebull. Av. Onze de Setembre, 28. Olot, Girona. 972 26 32 40
DR. OETKER Bakery Yeast, Special for making your own bread, pizza dough, puff pastry and other savory recipes – Box with 5 Envelopes x 7 Grams
book candy
The confectionery company Dulce de Libro has dared with the version glutenfree of this traditional coca, an order for which he has risked with a dough and a filling absolutely appetizing.
Photos | nito100/Barcelona City Council, Tàrrega City Council
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