The proper ratio of water to chickpea flour makes a very thin batter that cooks up into a custardy pancake.
Resting the batter allows the chickpea flour to fully hydrate.
The first time I tried the Italian chickpea pancake known asfarinata, I was completely stumped as to why anyone would want to eat such a thing. It was dense and dry and totally unpalatable. The second and third times I tried it, one of them again in the United States and the other in Italy from a vendor at a market in Turin, it was just as bad. After three terrible experiences, I concluded that farinata was a total waste of time, and decided to never go out of my way to eat it again.
Then one day about nine years ago I was working with my friend Piero at his family's vineyard in Strevi, a small village in the province of Alessandria in Piedmont, Italy, when he suggested we drive to a town called Acqui Terme, which he swore had one of the best versions of farinata around. Given my prior experiences, I wasn't expecting much, but it sounded like a fun excursion anyway, so off we went.
I'm so glad I did, because that day was the turning point in my understanding of farinata.
As soon as we walked up to the counter of a little farinata shop and I saw a wood fire burning in a big oven and the heavy, wide copper pans used to bake the pancakes, I knew this was going to be different.
The farinata we ate there wasn't dry at all. Instead it was soft and custardy in the center, with a lightly crisp and brown exterior. Rosemary leaves infused the whole thing with their woodsy pine flavor. I've been in love with farinata—at least, the good kind—ever since.
That farinata in Acqui Terme is one delicious leaf on a branching tree of Mediterranean chickpea pancakes, with roots in Liguria (which Alessandria borders) and branches extending as far as Nice, France, where it's known assocca. From what I've read in my Italian cookbooks, it dates back to Roman times, if not before, when chickpea flour was a more affordable alternative to wheat flour.
One thing that's great about chickpea flour is that it lacks gluten, so there's no risk of the pancake becoming dense and elastic from mixing—there's absolutely nothing you need to add to your farinata batter, aside from chickpea flour, water, and salt, to produce a wonderfully custardy texture. And because the chickpeas come loaded with plenty of their own flavor, which I'd describe as similar to green peas but without any sweetness, you don't have to do much to get delicious results. A little freshly ground black pepper and maybe some rosemary leaves and you're all set.
To make it, start with finely ground chickpea flour.
Add water bit by bit while whisking to avoid lumps.
Once you have a nice, smooth, lump-free batter, you can add the rest of the water.
The key to custardy farinata is to use the right ratio of water to chickpea flour: three to one by weight, respectively. You'll end up with a batter that looks very thin and watery: That's okay, it's what you want.
Then you let it stand for about four hours or so, enough time for the flour to completely hydrate. A foam will form on the surface, so scrape that off with a spoon and discard it.
When you're ready to cook the farinata, the first step is to crank the oven all the way up and let it preheat. Likecooking pizza, you need to get as close as you can to wood-burning oven temperatures (technically, you'll get nowhere close to those high temps, but we do what we can, right?).
If you have a pizza stone orbaking steel, you'll want to use it here. I set the oven rack on the second-highest position, and put my baking steel on it—it's going to help push heat up into the bottom of the farinata so that it crisps from below, as it would on the hot hearth floor of a pizza oven.
With the oven fully preheated, take awell seasoned cast iron skilletand put a generous amount of olive oil in it, enough to fill the skillet with an even layer about two millimeters thick. Then give the batter a good stir and pour it into the skillet; you want it about 1 centimeter deep, though there's some flexibility on the thickness of the pancake. The oil should mix with it, swirling on top and around the edge.
Then add plenty of freshly ground black pepper, and, if you want, fresh rosemary leaves.
Now switch your oven to broil, and as soon as the broiler has kicked on, slide the skillet onto your pizza stone or baking steel and let it go until the farinata has set and is browned on top. You can crack the oven door open with a utensil to prevent the broiler from cycling off.
When it comes out, the farinata should no longer jiggle, though it's okay if it's still a tiny bit soft in the center, since it will set more as it cools slightly.
It's best eaten while still warm, so once it's cooled enough and has set fully, cut it into sections and dig in. Done this way, there shouldn't be anything dry about it.
May 2015
This recipe was cross-tested in 2022 and lightly updated to guarantee best results. To account for variation in oven temperatures, we added a range of 11 to 15 minutes to cooking time.
1 teaspoon (3g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
3 cups (710ml) water
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Picked rosemary leaves, for sprinkling (optional)
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine chickpea flour and salt. Gradually add water, whisking constantly, until a smooth, thin batter forms. Let stand, covered, at least 4 and up to 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 550°F (288°C) and position oven rack in second position from top. If you have a pizza stone or baking steel, set it on the rack (it will help crisp the farinata from below, but isn't required).
Pour olive oil into a well-seasoned large 12-inch cast iron skillet and swirl to fully coat bottom in an even layer. Using a spoon, scrape any foam from surface of batter and discard. Stir batter to mix well, then pour into skillet. Stir gently to swirl oil on top of batter. Season all over with black pepper and sprinkle with rosemary leaves, if using.
Turn on broiler. Set skillet on pizza stone or baking steel, or on the oven rack if not using a stone, and cook until farinata has just set, no longer jiggles, and is browned all over, 11 to 15 minutes.
Let farinata cool slightly until set, about 10 minutes. Eat warm or at room temperature.
Special Equipment
Cast iron skillet, baking steel (optional)
Notes
If your broiler cycles off, you can prop the oven door open with a utensil to keep it on the whole time.
Farinata: Farinata is usually thicker and has a softer, custard-like texture with a slightly crispy exterior. Panelle: Panelle is thinner and is often cut into rectangular or diamond-shaped pieces. It has a firmer texture and is more akin to a chickpea fritter.
Farinata is an iconic Italian street food with crispy edges and a custardy center. This savory chickpea pancake is made without wheat so it's a great gluten-free appetizer, snack, or side dish. Whether you avoid gluten or eat it like candy this Italian speciality is sure to please.
A farinata is made from a few simple ingredients: chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil. Farinata means “made of flour” in standard Italian. A batter is formed from the ingredients and with it one creates 4mm thick pancakes.
Besan flour, gram flour, and garbanzo bean flour are all chickpea flours; they're just made from different varieties of chickpeas. Chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is milled using whole white chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Besan or gram flour is made by grinding split brown chickpeas (chana dal) into a fine powder.
Dante Alighieri meets Farinata, an Epicurean from Florence, in his Inferno in the Sixth Circle of Hell (canto 10). Epicurus and his followers are imprisoned in flaming coffins for the heretical belief that the soul dies with the body, shown here in an illustration by Gustave Doré.
The most widespread legend regarding the origins of chickpea farinata says that it was discovered by accident at the end of the 13th century, during the naval battle Of Meloria between the fleets of the Republics of Genoa and Pisa.
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But chickpea flour, Love explains, "is a naturally dense flour, and because of that denseness, and its innate binding tendencies, it lends baked goods a sturdy yet tender texture when mixed with other gluten-free flours. So, for quick breads, muffins, and cakes, it holds up extremely well."
1 serving of farinata contains 435 Calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 28% carbs, 62% fat, and 10% protein. This is a good source of protein (20% of your Daily Value), fiber (24% of your Daily Value), and potassium (10% of your Daily Value).
Made of only chickpea flour, water, extra-virgin olive oil and rosemary, this is a traditional flat bread from Liguria and Tuscany (where they call cecina), with some variations depending on where it is made. This is prepared in a large, round pan and baked in a wood oven so that the edges become crispy.
Rage of Farinata is a relic in Dante's Inferno. While equipped, fountains are broken immediately, negating the need to button-mash. It is found at the very beginning of Heresy just before a Demon Door, by talking to Virgil.
Dry roasting the chickpea flour before use will get rid of the bitter taste and bring out more of its nutty flavor as well as a hint of natural sweetness.
A fainá is a flatbread made with chickpea flour, very typical in Argentina. They usually serve it as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to pizza. But, you can also order a fainá as the CRUST of a pizza, topping it with cheese and any of the traditional pizza toppings, making it a gluten-free alternative.
What is chickpea flour? Chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour or besan, is made from ground, dried chickpeas. It has a fairly neutral, slightly nutty, slightly "bean-y" flavour that lends itself well to both savoury and sweet dishes.
This species currently grows only in southeast Turkey, where it is believed to have been domesticated. The domestication event can be dated to around 7000 BC. Domesticated chickpeas have been found at Pre-Pottery Neolithic B sites in Turkey and the Levant, namely at Çayönü, Hacilar, and Tell es-Sultan (Jericho).
“Garbanzo” is the Spanish word for “chickpea.” The word “chickpea” is derived from the Italian word ceci (pronounced “chee chee”), and in Arabic, garbanzos are called “hummus.” Garbanzos have been grown in the Mediterranean, Middle East, India, and some parts of Africa for more than 7,000 years.
Panelle might bring to mind Liguria's farinata, a baked flatbread also made with a chickpea batter. But while both have a similarly delicious, mildly nutty flavor, if you ask me, the crispiness you get by frying them gives panelle a definite leg up. They're a bit like potato chips, only thicker and tastier.
Farinata degli Uberti (died Nov. 11, 1264) was a Florentine nobleman who became the leader of the Florentine Ghibellines, the proimperial party. According to Dante (Inferno, canto X), Uberti alone dissuaded the members of the Ghibelline coalition from razing the city of Florence, which they had just captured.
Farinata. Farinata cuts an imposing figure--rising out of his burning tomb "from the waist up" and seeming to "have great contempt for hell"--when Dante turns to address him in the circle of the heretics (Inf. 10.31-6).
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