Farinata: a recipe for the Italian chickpea pancake

What is Italian farinata

A preparation that's widespread in many areas, especially in Liguria, Tuscany and Sardinia: farinata is a very flat savoury pancake created by mixing chickpea flour, water, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Legend has it that it was a battle between Genoa and Pisa in 1284 (known as the Battle of Meloria) that generated the conditions for this recipe to be developed, thanks to an unfortunate event: a terrible storm during which some barrels of oil and sacks of chickpeas spilled, soaking themselves in salt water. The sailors tried to recover as much as possible of these precious supplies, using containers to store pureed chickpeas, water and olive oil. Left in the sun for a day, this dough became dry, but the crew members, taken by pangs of hunger, ate it voraciously, thus understanding its appeal.

Farinata recipe

Ingredients

900 ml water

300 g chickpea flour

50 g extra virgin olive oil

10 g salt

Preheat the oven at 250°C. Mix all the ingredients together and cook the farinata in the lowest shelf of the oven for 12 minutes. Lower the temperature at 200°C and move the farinata on the penultimate top shelf of the oven. Cook it for 10/15 minutes until golden brown.

by Michela Becchi