Farinata
Farinata (from Latin farina , " flour ") is the Italian name for a pancake made from the basic ingredients chickpea flour , olive oil , salt and water . The dish is originally from Genoa and, with variations, is a local specialty in various places in the Mediterranean and South America. It is also known under the names Fainà , Fainè , Cecina or Torta di Ceci . Variants are called Calentita or Panelle . In Provence, this dish is called cade or socca (around Toulon or Nice).
The farinata is a typical dish of the so-called poor kitchen and has ancient origins. Similar pancakes were already made by the Greeks, Romans and in the Middle Ages as an alternative to bread. Usually a wood oven ( pizza oven ) is used for the production , in which the flatbread is baked in special flat baking trays at a high temperature. The pancake will take on a yellow color and should be well browned on the outside. It is eaten hot immediately because it becomes hard when warmed up. Usually it is seasoned with black pepper.
Italy
- In Liguria the dish is called farinata di ceci , in the Genoese dialect a 'fainà de ceixei . Bars in which the farinata is still traditionally prepared in a wood oven and can be enjoyed with a glass of wine are called farinotti or sciamadde . There are only a few left of these, which were often visited and sung about by the city's artists and writers. Beyond Genoa, the Farinata can be found mainly in the communities of Chiavari , La Spezia , Santo Stefano d'Aveto and Savona .
- In Tuscany , the dish is common along the coast ( Pisa , Viareggio , Livorno ) and known as Cecina (emphasized on the "i") or Torta di Ceci . It is eaten either alone or as a filling for a focaccia (in Livorno the latter variant is called cinque e cinque , as the price used to be five lire for the torta and five lire for the bread).
- After Sardinia , the court was of the Genoese brought, and says there Faine . It is best known in the Sassari area. It is served in a few typical restaurants, but also in many pizzerias. Variants with onions and Sardinian sausages are popular.
- In Sicily , especially around Palermo , the dish is called panelle and is a snack between meals . It differs from the main variant in that the pancake is fried in oil. Panels are eaten in bread with potato croquettes (called cazzilli in the dialect ). You can get them in numerous snack bars ( friggitorie ).
France
The socca is one of the specialties of the southern French city of Nice and some neighboring communities. It is offered in markets or by traveling vendors or on street corners, where you can enjoy it at tables with wooden benches with a glass of cold rosé wine. In the region around Toulon a little further west, the dish is called Cade .
Gibraltar
Under the name Calentita , a similar chickpea cake is a national dish of Gibraltar .
North africa
In Oran ( Algeria ) you know a similar court under the name Karantita , but it will be the recipe eggs and cumin added. The calentita in Morocco corresponds more to the originally Ligurian variant .
South America
The Farinata was brought to South America under the name fainá ( la fainà or el fainá ). It can be found in the pizzerias on the Río de la Plata , both in Buenos Aires and Montevideo , where it usually accompanies pizza.
