Socca Recipe: The (Gluten-free) French Appetizer (2024)

FAQs

What is socca made of? ›

Socca is also known by the names of fainá or farinata (coming from Argentina and Italy, respectively), but they are all essentially the same recipe using chickpea flour, olive oil, and water — and all have a crispy, nutty flavor.

A traditional delight hailing from the south of France (Nice, to be exact), socca is a chickpea flour pancake, or flatbread, often served informally as street food. Chickpea flour, sometimes called gram flour, garbanzo flour, or besan, can be found in ethnic grocery stores or health food shops.

One can eat socca in many different ways. Traditionally it is served piping hot with a drizzle of olive oil. You can walk around the streets in Nice and see it made in farmer's markets. You can also find it in Italy, however they call it “farinata” there.

Pasting properties of both the flour of legumes were significantly different (P < 0.05). Chickpea flour had a lower pasting temperatures and the peak, final, and setback viscosities than dried green pea flour. These characteristics seem to be related to the increased fat content of chickpea flour than green pea flour.

Socca is a gluten-free chickpea flatbread from Nice, France. It's surprisingly easy to make at home, and it's a delicious appetizer or meal on its own. See the post above for my favorite ways to serve it.

History of Socca

Legend has it that the recipe for socca was discovered when the Turks attacked the city of Nice in 1543. When they ran out of ammunition, the Niçois mixed hot oil with chickpea soup and poured it down off the top of the walls and onto the heads of the invaders.

Chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour or besan, is made from ground, dried chickpeas. It has a fairly neutral, slightly nutty, slightly "bean-y" flavour that lends itself well to both savoury and sweet dishes.

When stored in a cool, dry and dark place, an unopened pack of chickpea flour can last up to 1 year past the printed date on the package. However, once opened, it should be used within 6 months for best quality. If you've frozen your chickpea flour, it can last for an impressive 2 years.

Can I eat raw chickpea flour? ›

It is important to make sure the chickpea flour or gram is always well cooked before eating (both to get rid of the astringent aftertaste and to stop it giving you tummy ache - remember all legumes/pulses need to be well cooked!) and this also removes any bitter taste and gives you a nuttier flavour.

Chickpea flour, also known as gram flour or besan, is of great importance in Indian cuisine. Try besan flour (which is gluten-free) instead of wheat.

Yes, chickpeas are gluten-free. Chickpeas have many other names, including garbanzo beans, garbanzo, gram, Bengal gram, Egyptian pea, cici beans, chi chi beans and cece beans. The most common variety of chickpea is a beige, tan color, but they can also be black, green, or red.

Chickpea flour is used throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa to make sweet and savory flatbreads, thicken soups and stews, and add richness to dumplings and cakes. It is the main ingredient in shiro wat, a hearty, spicy Ethiopian stew laced with tomatoes and onions.

Therefore, chickpea pasta may be a good choice if you're watching your blood sugar levels (13). Chickpea pasta isn't low in carbs, but it may not have as much of an effect on blood sugar as other high carb foods due to its fiber and protein content.

Socca, a specialty of Nice, France, is a thin pancake made from chickpeas with a crispy exterior and a soft, creamy interior. Its origins lie in Genoa, Italy, where it's typically called farinata.

If you're not familiar with socca, it's a savory chickpea pancake with crisp, golden brown edges and a moist interior. It's popular throughout southern France and northern Italy, and once you try it, you'll see why.

If you choose to make it at home, you'll want to start with dried chickpeas and roast them for a few minutes to develop the flavor. From there, you simply grind them in a food processor into a powdery flour then sift out the larger granules and grind what's left in a spice grinder or coffee grinder.

Besan flour, gram flour, and garbanzo bean flour are all chickpea flours; they're just made from different varieties of chickpeas. Chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is milled using whole white chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Besan or gram flour is made by grinding split brown chickpeas (chana dal) into a fine powder.