Farinata
Photo: Andy Li · CC0

History

Chickpeas are widely held to have reached Genoese cooking through the medieval republic's trade with the Arab world. A decree of the Republic regulated the oil used for farinata in the 15th century, and a popular story credits its invention to galley crews who found their chickpea flour and oil soaked in seawater after the Genoese victory over Pisa at Meloria in 1284. It is also baked in Tuscany and in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, where it is called fainá.

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Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 15 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 300g chickpea flour
  • About 900ml cold water
  • 80ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp fine salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Whisk the chickpea flour into the water a little at a time until there are no lumps, add the salt, cover and leave to rest for at least three hours, stirring now and then.
  2. Skim off the foam that forms on the surface. Heat the oven to its maximum, at least 250C, with a wide shallow metal pan inside.
  3. Pour the oil into the hot pan, then pour in the batter to a depth of about half a centimetre and stir once so the oil and batter mix.
  4. Bake on the lowest shelf for 10 to 15 minutes, until set and golden with darker edges. Cut into wedges and serve at once with plenty of black pepper.

Tip from the editors. A thin, even layer is the whole trick: too deep and the middle stays wet, so level the pan before it goes in.

Where to eat farinata

Farinata in Genoa

Sà Pesta ★ 4.2

€€ TrattoriaCentro Storico

Sà Pesta on Via dei Giustiniani in Genoa is a shop and trattoria dating to 1889, with a wood oven for farinata, savoury pies and stuffed anchovies.

OrderFarinata from the wood oven, or the mixed house plate that sits beside it on the menu.

TipThe site lists lunch Monday to Saturday and dinner Thursday to Saturday only; the same dishes are sold at the shop counter.

Directions

Osteria della Foce ★ 4.2

€€ OsteriaFoce

Osteria della Foce in Genoa's Foce district opened in December 2017 and makes its own bread, pasta and desserts, with farinata on the evening menu.

OrderThe evening farinata, or the tartare di ricciola with celery and rose syrup that Michelin names.

TipThe kitchen cooks to order, so the restaurant's page warns that dishes can take a little while to arrive.

Directions

Il Genovese ★ 4.3

€€ TrattoriaDe Ferrari Brignole

Il Genovese on Via Galata in Genoa began in 1912 as a farinotto called Raggio; its fried dishes, pansoti and stoccafisso keep the old sciamadda repertoire.

OrderThe mixed fritti in olive oil, or the pansoti with walnut sauce from the primi list.

TipThe site lists the fried items as frisceü, panissette, latte brusco, gattafin and fried tripe, sold alone or as a mixed plate.

Directions

Antica Friggitoria Carega ★ 4.4

€ Street foodCentro Storico

Antica Friggitoria Carega on Genoa's Sottoripa arcades fries squid, prawns and anchovies and sells panissa and farinata; it is a listed heritage shop.

TryFried fish, panissa and farinata

TipInside, tiles, display cases and stools keep the traditional layout, per LiguriaDay's July 2025 walk along Sottoripa.

Directions

Pizzeria Da Raffa ★ 3.7

€ PizzeriaPonente

Pizzeria Da Raffa in Sestri Ponente, Genoa, opens at 18:45 every evening and keeps baking pizza, farinata and focaccia al formaggio until 00:30.

OrderMargherita (€6.50), focaccia al formaggio (€9) or a plain farinata (€9), all priced on the site.

TipIt is one of the few Genoa pizzerias open until 00:30 every night of the week; the site asks for bookings by telephone only.

Directions

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