Farinata
Alternative namesSocca, cecina
TypePancake
Place of origin
Region or state
Main ingredientsChickpea flour, water, olive oil

Farinata (Italian: [fariˈnaːta]), socca (French: [ˈsɔkka]), torta di ceci ([ˈtorta di ˈtʃeːtʃi]), cade, calentica or fainá is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from chickpea flour.

It is a typical preparation of the north-west mediterranean coast, in Liguria it is named Farinata, in Nice Socca and in Toulon cade.

It is also a speciality of the city of Oran since time of French Algeria, where it is known as calentica, and in the cities of Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, where it is known as fainá and eaten with pizza.

History

The origin of the dish is unknown. One origin-story, not supported by evidence, says it was invented by a group of Roman soldiers who roasted chickpea-flour on a shield.[1]

Names

In standard Italian, the dish is called farinata ("made of flour") while in Ligurian, specifically in the Genoese dialect, it goes by the name of fainâ [fajˈnaː]. In Massa it is called "calda calda" that means "hot hot". In Tuscany, cecina ("made of chickpeas") or torta di ceci ("chickpea pie") and in Sardinia fainè.

In Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes, it is called socca, in the Var, especially in Toulon, it is known as cade, from Occitan pascade as it was traditionnaly served during Easter (Pascas in occitan).[2]

In Argentina and Uruguay it is massively popular and is called fainá.

Cooking method

It is made by stirring chickpea flour into a mixture of water and olive oil to form a loose batter,[3] pouring it into a pan to make a pancake typically 4mm thick, and baking it for a few minutes, traditionally in an open oven in a tin-plated copper baking-pan. Farinata may be seasoned with fresh rosemary, pepper and sea salt. Traditionally farinata is cut into irregularly shaped triangular slices, and eaten (with no toppings) on small plates with optional black pepper. Elsewhere in Italy - traditionally in Tuscany, where it is called cecina (from the Italian word for chickpea, ceci) - it is served stuffed into small focaccia (mainly in Pisa) or between two slices of bread, as it is traditional in Livorno. It is sold in pizzerias and bakeries.

Italian variations

On the Tuscan coast, south of Liguria, especially in the province of Pisa, Livorno, Lucca cecina, in Massa Carrara "calda calda" or, in Livorno, torta (di ceci) is baked (with no rosemary used for toppings).

In Sassari, Sardinia, due to the historical ties with Genoa, la fainé genovese (genoese fainé), is a typical dish.

In Savona province (near Genoa), a version of farinata called farinata bianca (white farinata) is used. It is made with wheat flour instead of chickpea flour.

The name panissa or paniscia in Genoese indicates a solidified boiled polenta-like paste, made with the same ingredients as farinata. It can be cut into strips and fried, called panissette.

In Genoa, variants of the farinata include sometimes onions or artichokes, but the most famous derivative recipe is the fainâ co i gianchetti ("farinata with whitebait"), at times hard to find due to fishing regulations, but traditionally seen as the quintessential fainâ.

French variations

Socca of Nice also known as La Cade in Toulon
Socca, just coming out of the oven, in the old town of Nice, on the French Riviera
Slices of socca at a Nice market
  • Socca is also a specialty of southeastern French cuisine, particularly in and around the city of Nice,[4] and is practically the same as farinata, some say the texture is a bit different. It may be baked on a tinned copper plate more than a meter in diameter.
  • Around Toulon and Marseille, it is also possible to find it under the name cade. This version is thicker with a crunchy surface.
  • Panisse is a specialty of Marseille, and is a similar dish, but thicker, and is typically cut into circles and fried.

Elsewhere

In Algeria, karantika is a similar dish which is very popular. It is served hot and dressed with cumin and harissa.[5]

In Argentina and Uruguay (where many thousands of Ligurian people emigrated between the 19th and the 20th centuries) farinata is known as fainá, similar to the original Genoese name fainâ. It is often eaten on top of pizza (a caballo).[6]

In Uruguay, "el fainá" (called "la fainá" in Argentina) is considered a traditional Uruguayan dish, brought by immigrants in 1915, so much so that 27 August has been called "Fainá Day". Fainá is optionally served "de orillo" or "del medio", which means from the border and from the center, because slightly irregular baking is made from to the meniscus of the liquid dough, making it thicker at the center, resulting different textures, more creamy or more crispy akin to the choice.[7]

In Gibraltar, it is known as calentita when it is baked or panissa when it is fried. They are typically eaten plain, without any toppings. These are considered to be Gibraltar's national dishes.[8]

In India, the dal (the word for pulses) "chila" (pronounced "cheela") or besan (the word for chickpea flour) "puda" (pronounced "poora"), depending on the region, is a similar dish made by cooking chickpea (or another pulse) flour and water on an oiled skillet. Vegetables such as onions, green chillies, cabbage and herbs and spices such as coriander are also added in certain versions of the preparation.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rosie Whitehouse (2016). Liguria. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 35. ISBN 9781784770105. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  2. ↑ Marmottans, Tony (2000). Toulon et son histoire du Moyen Age à la Belle Epoque (in French). Autres temps. ISBN 978-2-84521-063-9.
  3. ↑ Yotam Ottolenghi (14 November 2014). "Sheer poetry: Yotam Ottolenghi's chickpea flour recipes, from farinata to chickpea pancakes". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "A Brief History of Socca, France's Chickpea Pancake". February 2017.
  5. ↑ La calentita Archived 2007-12-19 at the Wayback Machine, afaulxbriole.free.fr.
  6. ↑ Booth, Amy. "Buenos Aires' unusual pizza topping". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  7. ↑ "El Fainá cumple 93 Años en Uruguay. El 27 de agosto es el día del auténtico fainá - Montevideo Portal - www.montevideo.com.uy". Montevideo.com. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Ligurian Chickpea Pancake Recipe (Farinata)". The Spruce. Archived from the original on 2010-02-17. Retrieved 2018-02-05.

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