View source for Farinata

{{Short description|Chickpea pancake}}
{{About|the food|the 13th-century Italian aristocrat|Farinata degli Uberti}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2013}}
{{Italics title}}
{{Infobox food
| name = ''Farinata''
| image = Farinata di ceci 01.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = Slices of ''farinata''
| alternate_name = ''Farinata di ceci'', ''torta di ceci'', ''fainé'', ''fainá'',''calda calda'', ''cecìna'', ''socca'' (in French), ''cade'' (in French)
| country = {{plainlist|
*[[Italy]]
*[[France]]
}}
| region = {{plainlist|
*[[Liguria]]
*[[Tuscany]]
*[[Provence]]
}}
| creator = 
| course = 
| type = [[Pancake]]
| served = 
| main_ingredient = [[Gram flour|Chickpea flour]], water, [[olive oil]]
| variations = 
}}

'''''Farinata''''' ({{IPA|it|fariˈnaːta|lang}}), '''''socca''''' ({{IPA|oc|suˈka|lang}}), '''''farinata di ceci''''', '''''torta di ceci''''', '''''fainé''''', '''''fainá''','' '''''cecìna''''' or '''''cade''''' is a type of thin, unleavened [[pancake]] or [[crêpe]] made from [[Gram flour|chickpea flour]].

Farinata is considered a staple food on the northwest Mediterranean coast. In [[Liguria]] it is named ''farinata'', in [[Nice]] ''socca'' and in [[Toulon]] ''cade.''

It is also a speciality of [[Oran]], Algeria, where it was introduced under [[French Algeria|French rule]] and known as ''calentica'', and in the cities of [[Buenos Aires]], Argentina, and [[Montevideo]], Uruguay, where it is known as ''fainá'' and eaten with [[pizza]].

It is usually both vegan and gluten-free.<ref name="Povera">{{Cite book|last=Scarpaleggia|first=Giulia|title=Cucina Povera: The Italian Way of Transforming Humble Ingredients into Unforgettable Meals|date=2023-04-04|publisher=Artisan|language=en|isbn=978-1648290565|page=179}}</ref>


==Names==
In standard Italian, the dish is called ''farinata'' ('made of flour'), while in [[Ligurian language|Ligurian]], specifically in the [[Genoese dialect]], it goes by the name of ''fainâ'' ({{IPA|lij|fajˈnaː|lang}}); in [[Carrara]] and in [[Massa, Tuscany|Massa]] it is called ''calda calda'' ({{literally|hot hot}}), in the rest of [[Tuscany]] ''cecina'' or ''torta di ceci''<ref name="Povera" /> ({{literally|chickpea pie}}) and in [[Sardinia]] ''fainé''. 

In Nice and the [[Alpes-Maritimes]] it is called ''socca'', and in the [[Var (department)|Var]], especially in Toulon, it is known as ''cade'', from [[Occitan language|Occitan]] ''pascade'', as it was traditionally served during Easter (''Pascas'' in Occitan).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Marmottans |first=Tony |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wlmqAAAACAAJ |title=Toulon et son histoire du Moyen Age à la Belle Epoque |date=2000 |publisher=Autres temps |isbn=978-2-84521-063-9 |language=fr}}</ref> 

In [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] it is massively popular and is called ''fainá''.

==History==
The origin of the dish is unknown. One legend says it was invented by a group of Roman soldiers who roasted chickpea-flour on a shield.<ref>{{cite book |title=Liguria |publisher=Bradt Travel Guides |author=Rosie Whitehouse |year=2016 |page=35 |isbn=9781784770105}}</ref> Farinata is a contemporary [[street food]] in [[Liguria]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Cookbook River Cafe London: Thirty Years of Recipes and the Story of a Much-Loved Restaurant |publisher= Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |author1=Ruth Rogers |author2=Sian Wyn Owen |author3=Joseph Trivelli |author4=Rose Gray |year=2018 |page=59 |isbn=9780525521310}}</ref>

==Cooking method==
''Farinata'' is made by stirring [[Gram flour|chickpea flour]] into a mixture of water and [[olive oil]] to form a loose [[Batter (cooking)|batter]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/nov/14/chickpea-flour-recipes-yotam-ottolenghi |title=Sheer poetry: Yotam Ottolenghi's chickpea flour recipes, from farinata to chickpea pancakes |newspaper=The Guardian |date=14 November 2014 |author=Yotam Ottolenghi |author-link=Yotam Ottolenghi |access-date= 4 February 2016}}</ref> pouring it into a pan to make a pancake typically 4 mm thick, and cooking it for a few minutes, traditionally in an open oven in a tin-plated copper baking-pan. It may be seasoned with fresh [[rosemary]], [[Black pepper|pepper]] and [[sea salt]]. Traditionally ''farinata'' is cut into irregularly shaped triangular slices, and eaten (with no toppings) on small plates with optional black pepper. Elsewhere in Italy—traditionally in Tuscany, where it is called ''cecina'' (from the Italian word for 'chickpeas', ''ceci'')—it is served stuffed into small [[focaccia]] (mainly in [[Pisa]]) or between two slices of bread, as it is traditional in [[Livorno]]. In [[Carrara]] it is also eaten in a small [[focaccia]] filled with a slice of pizza and farinata, this combination is known as ''Gnam''. It is sold in pizzerias and bakeries.

==French variations==
[[File:Socca in Nice.jpg|thumb|''Socca'' of Nice, also known as ''La Cade'' in Toulon]]
[[File:Socca a Nice.jpg|thumb|''Socca'', just coming out of the oven, in the old town of Nice]]
''Socca'' is a dish of southeastern French cuisine, particularly in and around the city of [[Nice]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/a-brief-history-of-socca-frances-chickpea-pancake|title=A Brief History of Socca, France's Chickpea Pancake|date=February 2017}}</ref> It is the same as ''farinata'', although some say the texture is a bit different. It may be baked on a tinned copper plate more than a meter in diameter. Around [[Toulon]] and [[Marseille]], ''farinata'' can be found under the name ''cade''. This version is thicker with a crunchy surface.

==Algeria==
In [[Algeria]], ''[[karantika]]'' is a similar dish which is very popular. It is served hot and dressed with [[cumin]] and [[harissa]].<ref>[http://afaulxbriole.free.fr/la_calentita.htm ''La calentita''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219215812/http://afaulxbriole.free.fr/la_calentita.htm |date=2007-12-19 }}, afaulxbriole.free.fr.</ref>

==Latin America==
In [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] (where many thousands of Ligurian people emigrated between the 19th and the 20th centuries), ''farinata'' is known as ''fainá'', similar to the original [[Genoese dialect|Genoese]] name ''fainâ''. It is often eaten on top of pizza (''a caballo'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=Booth |first=Amy |title=Buenos Aires' unusual pizza topping |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220509-fain-buenos-aires-unusual-pizza-topping |access-date=2022-05-10 |publisher=bbc.com}}</ref>

In Uruguay ''el fainá'', called ''la fainá'' in Argentina, is considered a traditional dish, brought by immigrants in 1915. 27th August has been called "Fainá Day". ''Fainá'' is optionally served ''de orillo'' or ''del medio'', which means from the border and from the center, because slightly irregular baking is made from to the [[Meniscus (liquid)|meniscus]] of the liquid dough, making it thicker at the center, resulting different textures, more creamy or more crispy akin to the choice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.montevideo.com.uy/auc.aspx?67157 |title=El Fainá cumple 93 Años en Uruguay. El 27 de agosto es el día del auténtico fainá - Montevideo Portal |newspaper=Montevideo.com |access-date= 4 February 2016}}</ref>

==Gibraltar==
In [[Gibraltar]], it is known as ''[[Gibraltarian cuisine#Calentita|calentita]]'' when it is baked or ''[[Gibraltarian cuisine#Panissa|panissa]]'' when it is fried. They are typically eaten plain, without any toppings. These are considered to be Gibraltar's national dishes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://italianfood.about.com/od/chickpeaslentils/r/blr0714.htm|title=Ligurian Chickpea Pancake Recipe (Farinata)|work=The Spruce|access-date=2018-02-05|archive-date=2010-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217094642/http://italianfood.about.com/od/chickpeaslentils/r/blr0714.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Italy|France|Food}}
* [[Cuisine of Liguria]]
* [[Provence#Cuisine|Cuisine of Provence]]
* [[List of pancakes]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Italian bread}}
{{Pancakes}}
{{Street food}}

[[Category:Pancakes]]
[[Category:Chickpea dishes]]
[[Category:Street food in Italy]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Liguria]]
[[Category:Cuisine of Provence]]