The origin of the dish is unknown, although various flat-bread techniques predate written history, as do chickpeas, and presumably chickpea flour. One origin-story says farinata was invented by a group of Roman soldiers who roasted chickpea-flour on a shield.
Names
In standard Italian, the dish is called farinata while in Ligurian, specifically in the Genoese dialect, it goes by the name of fainâ. In Nice and the Côte d'Azur, it is called socca, in Tuscany, cecina or torta di ceci and in Sardiniafainè. In Uruguay and Argentina 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, 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 on small plates with optional black pepper. Elsewhere in Italy - traditionally in Tuscany, where it is called cecina - it is served stuffed into small focaccia 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, Massa Carraracecina or, in Livorno, torta is baked. In Sassari, Sardinia, due to the historical ties with Genoa, la fainé genovese, is a typical dish. In Savona province, a version of farinata called farinata bianca 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, at times hard to find due to fishing regulations, but traditionally seen as the quintessential fainâ.
French variations
Socca is also a specialty of southeastern French cuisine, particularly in and around the city of Nice, and is the same as farinata. It may be baked on a tinned copper plate more than a meter in diameter.
Panisse is a specialty of Marseille, and is a similar dish, but thicker, and is typically cut into rectangles and fried.
Elsewhere
In Algeria, karantita is a similar dish which is very popular. It is served hot and dressed with cumin and harissa. In Argentina and Uruguay farinata is known as fainá, similar to the original Genoese name fainâ. It is often eaten on top of pizza. In Uruguay, "el fainá" is considered a traditional Uruguayan dish, brought by immigrants in 1915, so much so that 27 August has been called "Fainá Day". Olive oil, which is expensive, is not necessarily used; other vegetable oils may be used, which affects the flavour to some extent. 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. In India, the dal "chila" or besan "puda", depending on the region, is a similar dish made by cooking chickpea 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.
