This rustic chickpea flour-based pie, farinata di ceci, is a very common street food you’ll find in Liguria, the italian Riviera famous for Focaccia and Pesto. Nowadays you can also find the farinata di ceci in other regions (Tuscany, Sardinia etc) as well as other countries (France and South America) with small variations or additions.
The origins of the farinata are very old and legendary. According to a popular belief this dish was born after a sea battle in 1284 where ships from Genoa (the main city of Liguria) found themselves stranded by a storm. The ships’ food supplies of oil and chickpea flour got mixed with some sea water. The sailors placed this mixture under the scorching sun to cook. The sailors, desperate, ate this mixture and actually found it remarkably good (probably due to hunger aha) and decided to bring this innovative food mixture back home.
It’s very simple. First you mix very well the flour and water and let them rest for 6-8h at room temperature. You can even do it overnight in the fridge. Mix it every now and then to make sure the water doesn’t separate from the flour. Next, just before baking ,add the good quality olive oil (and in my case some extra seasoning) and you’re done! You’ll get this simple, gluten free, vegan, protein-packed pie! I like to call it a lighter, baked hummus version aha! It’s super delicious, you can enjoy it by itself or in a sandwich.
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