Farinata

Ligurian chickpea flour flatbread: batter of stone-ground chickpea flour, water and olive oil rested overnight and poured thin into a scorching copper pan, baked until the edges crisp and the centre trembles golden, a preparation with a history running from Roman North Africa to the port of Genoa

Origin: Genoa, Liguria, Italy

From the journey of Chickpea.

Farinata di ceci is one of the oldest preparations in the Italian kitchen, tracing its lineage through Ligurian maritime history to the Roman polenta punica (the chickpea flour porridge of North African Roman cooking documented by Cato the Elder. The Genoese legend of farinata's origin involves a storm at sea: chickpea flour mixed with seawater and olive oil, spread thin on copper shields to dry in the sun, discovered to be delicious when accidentally baked) a charming story that may or may not be true but captures something essential about the dish's simplicity and its emergence from practical necessity. What is certain is that farinata has been the street food of Genoa for at least seven centuries, sold from open-fronted shops called sciamadde (meaning 'aflame') where the copper pans are carried in and out of wood-fired ovens by men with long paddles, the golden, blistered results sliced and eaten standing at the counter with a pinch of black pepper. Farinata appears across the Ligurian coast and south of France under different names: socca in Nice, cecina in Tuscany, torta di ceci in Livorno, fainé in Sardinia. In Argentina (where Genoese immigrants settled in enormous numbers in the late 19th century) it became fainá, eaten beneath slices of pizza in the Genoese-Argentine tradition of the Rio de la Plata.

Ingredients

Main

  • 200 g chickpea flour (farina di ceci), sifted
  • 600 ml water, at room temperature
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp fine sea salt

Optional

  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Serving

  • 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, for serving

Method

  1. Whisk the chickpea flour into the water gradually (add the water to the flour, not the flour to the water) whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the olive oil and salt. Whisk until completely smooth. Cover and rest at room temperature for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. Skim the foam that rises to the surface before baking.
  2. Place a 30–32cm round metal baking tin or oven-safe frying pan in the oven and preheat to the maximum temperature your oven can reach: ideally 250°C (480°F) or higher. The pan must be scorching hot before the batter goes in.
  3. Remove the hot pan from the oven. Add enough olive oil to coat the base generously: about 3 tablespoons. Pour in the batter to a depth of about 5–6mm. It should sizzle on contact. If using rosemary, scatter it over the surface.
  4. Return to the oven immediately. Bake for 12–15 minutes until the surface is set, golden with brown blisters at the edges, and the centre has a very slight tremble when the pan is moved: just barely set, like a soft custard.
  5. Remove from the oven. Rest for 1 minute: it will continue to firm slightly. Slide onto a board and cut into irregular rectangles or wedges. Finish with a generous grind of coarse black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

The correct pan for farinata is a wide, shallow copper or thin steel pan that conducts heat instantly and evenly. A 32cm round pizza pan, a paella pan, or a cast-iron skillet all work. The batter is gluten-free (chickpea flour only) and naturally vegan. The traditional toppings in Genoa are none: just black pepper. Additions such as thinly sliced onion, sage, or olives are modern and regional variations, acceptable but not traditional to the Genoese street form.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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