History

Chichis frégis were popularised in 1907 by Alexis Guglielmi in Toulon and migrated up the coast to L'Estaque in the 1930s, where the fishing-village stalls turned them into the canonical Marseille beach snack. Chez Magali, run by the Magali Pisciotto family, still cooks them in 20-litre olive oil cauldrons at the L'Estaque seafront. The Sunday-afternoon queue is unchanged across generations.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 16Hands-on 30 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 400g strong plain flour
  • 100g chickpea flour (besan)
  • 10g fresh yeast (or 5g instant dried)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 300ml warm water
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for the bowl
  • 2 tbsp orange-blossom water
  • 1 litre olive oil (or 50/50 olive and sunflower), for frying
  • 200g caster sugar, for coating

Method

  1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water; rest 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Whisk the plain flour, chickpea flour and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the yeast water, olive oil and orange-blossom water.
  3. Mix to a soft, sticky dough. Cover and rise in a warm place for 90 minutes until doubled.
  4. Heat the frying oil in a deep heavy pan to 175C. The dough is soft and sticky; oil your hands.
  5. Pull off pieces of dough about the size of a small lemon. Roll into ropes 20cm long and 2cm thick.
  6. Press the edges of each rope with the back of a fork to give the chichi its signature ridges.
  7. Lower a piece carefully into the oil and fry for 90 seconds a side until deep gold and risen. Do not crowd the pan; chichis double in size as they fry.
  8. Lift onto a tray lined with paper. While still hot, roll generously in caster sugar to coat.
  9. Eat immediately, ideally still warm. Chichis lose their crisp within an hour.

Tip from the editors. The orange-blossom water is the Marseille signature; do not skip it. The dough must drop heavily off a spoon; if it is stiff you get bread, not chichi.

Where to eat chichi frégi

Chichi Frégi in Marseille

Chez Magali ★ 4.7

€€ Street food

Chez Magali in Marseille's L'Estaque port serves fried chichis and panisses by the dozen since 1947, paper cones eaten on the beachfront seawall.

Why locals goTourists rarely make it to L'Estaque port; locals have eaten Magali's chichis here for 78 years.

TipCash only; chichis straight from the oil, panisses by the dozen in a paper cone.

Directions

Chez Sauveur ★ 4.2

€ Sicilian

Chez Sauveur in Marseille's 1er Noailles has cooked Sicilian-rooted Marseillais pizza since 1943, the Pizza Speciale around €15, the cheapest wood-fired.

TrySicilian wood-fired pizza

TipClosed Sunday and Monday; takeaway saves the queue at peak Cash is faster than card.

Directions

Marche aux Poissons du Vieux Port ★ 4.6

€ Market

Marche aux Poissons in Marseille's 1er on the Quai de la Fraternite is the city's last working fish market, around ten stalls each morning selling whatever.

TipOpen daily 8am-1pm; pack-up around 12:30, the rascasse and scorpion fish go first.

Directions

All Marseille signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want chichi frégi covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →