Coca (plural coques) is a traditional food from all over the Mediterranean region, although its exact origin is lost in the mists of time, it’s thought to have come from the dough left over in the kneading troughs. Housewives take advantage of this leftover dough, bake it flat and even sprinkle sugar and serve it at the end of a meal.
Coques come in all shapes and sizes. In the words of Eliana Thibaut i Comalada, a true expert on the subject, "What stands out is the huge variety of the different forms" (Les coques catalanes, Edicions Proa, Barcelona 1995). They are usually classified into two large categories: sweet or savoury and open (flat) or covered. The vast majority of recipes are for open coques, both sweet and savoury. All these varieties are made in Andorra, Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia, using all kinds of different ingredients: meat, fish, vegetables and sausages.
Along with the other traditional Andorran variety, the masegada, the coca de canal is also associated with festivities and popular celebrations. A popular and basic part of our cuisine which does not distinguish between the rich and the poor.
If you have the opportunity to cook the coques de canal (canal cakes) in a wood-fire oven, you will not only cook them traditionally, but you will also obtain an authentic and delicious flavour. This kind of coca should be crispy.
