- This article is about the Italian food; for the 13th century Italian aristocrat see Farinata degli Uberti.
Farinata (which literally means floured in the Italian language) is a thin, crisp, pizza-like pancake from Liguria, Italy. Variations are eaten in many different Mediterranean countries and beyond. It is similar to the socca from Nice, France.
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Cooking method
It is made by stirring chickpea flour into a mixture of water and olive oil to form a loose batter, and baking it in the open oven. Farinata may be seasoned with fresh rosemary, pepper and sea salt. Traditionally farinata is cut into irregularly shaped triangular slices, and enjoyed (with no toppings) on small plates with optional black pepper. Elsewhere in Italy (traditionally in Tuscany, where 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 bakers'.
Italian variations
On the Tuscan coast, south of Liguria, especially in the province of Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara an approximately identical food, called cecina (ceci are chickpeas in Italian) or, in Livorno, Torta (di ceci) (Chickpea pie) is baked (with no rosemary used for toppings).
In Sassari, Sardinia, due to the Genoese origin of the city and language, la fainé genovese (genoese fainé), is a "historical" dish.
The name Panissa or Paniscia in Genoese indicates a solidified polenta-like paste which can then be cut into strips to be fried, assuming the name panissette.
Variations outside Italy
In Algeria, karantita is a similar dish which is very popular. It is served hot and dressed with cumin and harissa.[1]
In Argentina and in Uruguay farinata is known as fainá, similar to the original Genoese name fainé. It is often eaten on top of pizza (a caballo).
In Gibraltar, where a significant portion of its population is of Genoese origin, 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.[2]
Notes
- ^ La calentita, afaulxbriole.free.fr.
- ^ Calentita: Gibraltarian national dish
See also
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