Panisse
Photo: Daderot · CC0

History

Panisse arrived in Marseille with the Italian and Ligurian dockworkers from Genoa across the 19th century, the cheap chickpea-flour street snack of the workers' lunch. Chez Magali at the L'Estaque port has fried panisse since 1947 in the family kiosk, and the dish has stayed a working-class fast food eaten standing in a paper cone with a glass of pastis. The Marche des Capucins counters fry them all day as quick lunch.

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Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 20 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 250g chickpea flour
  • 1 litre water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • Black pepper
  • Optional: 1 garlic clove crushed, sprig of rosemary

Method

  1. Whisk the chickpea flour into the cold water in a heavy pan; whisk until smooth, then add the olive oil, salt and pepper.
  2. Place over medium heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 12 to 15 minutes until the batter thickens to a stiff polenta-like paste.
  3. Pour into an oiled rectangular tray about 2cm deep, smooth the top. Cool, then refrigerate at least 2 hours until firmly set.
  4. Turn out and cut into batons or rounds about 1cm thick.
  5. Fry in 1cm of hot olive oil until deep golden on each side, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper, season with sea salt and pepper, serve immediately.

Tip from the editors. The batter must be stirred without stopping or it forms lumps; if it does, beat it hard with a whisk before pouring into the tray.

Where to eat panisse

Panisse 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

Marche des Capucins counter food ★ 4.2

€ Tunisian

Marche des Capucins in Marseille's 1er Noailles runs all day with halal butchers, Tunisian pastries and counter-food stalls, cheapest fresh fast lunch.

TryMaghrebi snacks and produce-stand lunch

TipCash is faster than card; arrive before noon for the freshest fish.

Directions

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