Snacks · Rocchetta Tanaro, Piedmont
Mario Fongo
A Piedmont village bakery known for hand-stretched grissini and crisp lingue.
- Founded
- 1945
- Founded by
- Mario Fongo
- Based in
- Rocchetta Tanaro, Piedmont
Making it since
1945
Their story
In Rocchetta Tanaro, a small town in the Piedmont hills, Mario Fongo was known to neighbors simply as "il panaté," the baker. The family's first village bakery opened in 1945, and the ovens there are still lit every day.
In 1993 Mario settled on his recipe for lingue di suocera, "mother-in-law's tongues," long and blistered flatbread crackers that have since traveled far beyond the region. His son Giovanni joined in 2003 and now runs the bakery with his wife Marta and their daughters Sofia and Giulia, adding new shapes and recipes while keeping the original approach.
How it's made
Everything is baked daily with the same short list Mario used: flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast, with no preservatives or additives. The bakery uses Italian organic extra virgin olive oil and selected flour blends, and shapes its grissini and lingue by hand in the traditional Piedmont style.
Why we carry them
We reach for Fongo's lingue whenever a cheese board needs something crisp and plain enough to let the cheese talk. The rubata grissini are just as good wrapped in prosciutto.
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