Farinata

Farinata (Italian: [fariˈnaːta]), socca (Occitan: [suˈka]), farinata di ceci, torta di ceci, fainé, fainá, cecìna or cade is a type of thin, unleavened pancake or crêpe made from 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 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.

In standard Italian, the dish is called farinata ('made of flour'), while in Ligurian, specifically in the Genoese dialect, it goes by the name of fainâ (Ligurian: [fajˈnaː]); in Carrara and in Massa it is called calda calda (lit. 'hot hot'), in the rest of Tuscany cecina or torta di ceci (lit. 'chickpea pie') and in Sardinia fainé.

In Nice and the Alpes-Maritimes it is called socca, and in the Var, especially in Toulon, it is known as cade, from Occitan pascade, as it was traditionally served during Easter (Pascas in Occitan).

In Argentina and Uruguay it is massively popular and is called fainá.

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. Farinata is a contemporary street food in Liguria.