Cobbled lanes, hidden alleys, old stone houses leaning against each other, some rustic, decorated with sacred images and others stately homes, adorned with precious frescoes and wrought iron balconies: the historic centre of Toceno, in the Vigezzo Valley, is a perfect example of Ossolan architecture.
In the upper part of Toceno you’ll find the Tomà Oven, a community wood oven still working today, once a fundamental place for the family economy, as well as a social gathering point for the entire community.
Bread was a real treasure at the time and was prepared only occasionally, to be preserved for a long time and consumed throughout the year. Housewives booked the oven to use it and, after baking, left a small amount of yeast dough for the next person, who in turn used it as raising agent for their bread.
The Tomà Oven baked loaves made from local grains and wholemeal flours, such as rye, which is still used to produce the famous Coimo black bread. Once the bread was baked, the leftovers from the dough, together with walnuts, hazelnuts, raisins and figs, were cooked using the heat accumulated in the oven and transformed into delicious sweet crescenzin bread.
The residual heat was a precious asset: once the cooking of salted and sweet breads was finished, the oven was used to toast buckwheat, an essential ingredient of the typical black polenta.
Info: www.vallevigezzo.eu