Socca or Farinata? A Mediterranean Obsession with the Chickpea Pancake

Socca being made in Nice, France. Photograph by Pranav Bhatt, courtesy of Creative Commons

Nearly two decades ago, I walked up to the counter at Lou Pilha Leva, in the Vieux Nice, and ordered a serving of socca—the thin and crispy chickpea flour pancake, a staple of this corner of southeastern France. Back in 2002, when I was an English-language assistant there, I had a lot of time on my hands (outside of the twelve hours of teaching a week). What did I do? I got familiar with this and other regional specialties, and this street food became one of my favorites.

Relying on only a few basic ingredients: chickpea flour, extra virgin olive oil, water, and salt, the batter is baked in a large, round cast iron pan. With a thickness of no more than a few millimeters, the top should have some browned bubbles with some charred flakey bits. The server scrapes off a rough wedge piece of the pancake, empties the contents into a small container or takeaway paper, seasons it with gray or black pepper, and the socca is placed in hand, still steaming. It’s fun to eat by picking at it with teeth or fingers, peeling off the browned bits and licking the salt and olive oil—the healthiest grease imaginable—off your fingers.

Twenty years ago, chickpea flour wasn’t so easy to find in Los Angeles (where I live) outside of Indian markets, and I imagine, in much of the US. Now it’s ubiquitous, and socca is known worldwide. Sort of. I’ve tasted an assortment of Californian versions at restaurants throughout the state, called socca, or dubbed soccattata, chickpea frittata, or farinata—socca’s Italian cousin. Let’s just say the words are used on menus quite liberally. Chickpea flour is what links them all together, but I haven’t had a real socca outside of Nice, unless you count its first cousin, the farinata, which hails from Liguria, in northwestern Italy. 

The queue for socca at Chez Theresa on the Cours Saleya, in Nice, France. Photograph by Rolling Pen Studio

The two pancakes are very similar, but in the fall of 2022 I sampled the farinata within days of eating socca along the Promenade des Anglais, and my preference tilts definitively towards socca. (Sorry, Italy!) Socca is thinner, and it’s the crispiness and browned exterior of the French version, still giving way to a bit of soft and creamy pudding-like consistency batter inside, that makes it rise above the farinata. There is an extra subtlety to socca that I’m sure the niçois would agree with, a complexity of taste that is not quite there with the farinata. However, it’s like comparing a Pink Lady apple and a Honeycrisp; at the end it just boils down to personal preference (Pink Lady all the way!).

Socca from Chez Theresa, Cours Saleya, Nice. Photograph by Rolling Pen Studio

Make no mistake though—the France vs. Italy rivalry is fierce. In this recipe episode from François Régis Gaudry, host of the French podcast On Va Déguster, he meets with an Italian friend and cook from Liguria to help her make a farinata. As they’re eating the finished product, François closes his eyes, talking about how he’s breathing in the sights and smells of Nice’s Cours Saleya, the avenue upon which socca is commonly sold. His friend, Alessandra, crinkles up her mouth in displeasure and corrects him, “No, wait. We’re in Genoa, on Corso Italia,” moving the farinata out of his reach if he continues to confuse it with socca.

Farinata in Genoa, Italy. Photograph by Ho Visto Nina Volare, courtesy of Creative Commons

Head to Nice and Liguria to decide for yourself how similar they are, but here is what you need to know about the socca, farinata, and even the latter’s Sicilian cousin, le panelle.

Socca

The niçoise version most likely derived from the Italian farinata, which was brought over by Italian immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century. It became popular as an early morning snack, especially for fishermen or other workers, and had to be eaten piping hot for the best taste. Baked in a hot wood-fired oven, the top and bottom of the socca should be crispy, but overall it’s identifying feature is that it is quite thin. When in Nice, Chez Theresa is reputed to be one of the best vendors of the chickpea pancake, though newer locations in less famous parts of town are supposedly even better. If you want to try it at home, I recommend David Liebowitz’s socca recipe—it’s the closest I’ve come to tasting the original here at home. The touch of cumin that he adds gives it a little je ne sais quoi. 

Note: Modern industry and an entrepreneurial spirit has allowed for the invention of socca chips—a takeaway version that provides the unique flavor of socca in chip form. On your way out of Nice, grab a bag at the Monoprix on Jean Medecin. At around four euros for a bag (120 grams), they’re not exactly cheap, but they are very tasty and the ingredients are wholesome: chickpea flour, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sunflower seed oil. Plus you can bring a little piece of Nice with you as you move on in your travels.

Farinata

According to La Cucina Italiana, the Italian chickpea pancake was invented by accident on a boat in the Mediterranean when sailors discovered that sun-cooked chickpeas turned out to be edible. The ingredients for the farinata are almost exactly the same as that of socca: chickpea flour, water, extra virgin olive oil, and salt. The batter produces a slightly thicker pancake. Crispiness does not appear to be as coveted with farinata as it is with socca, making it easier to replicate at home.

Panelle

These crispy chickpea fritters use the same ingredients—chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil—but are a specialty of Palermo, Sicily. These provide a satisfying bite for anyone looking for a quick meal. They can be eaten on their own, perhaps sprinkled with some fresh lemon juice, or stuffed in sesame bread rolls for a nice (and incidentally, vegan) sandwich. 

Cecina

A quick shout-out to Tuscany, where one can find a version of this pancake as well, more reminiscent of the farinata in taste and presentation, and often flavored with rosemary.

Modern Versions

As I mentioned, it’s now common to see versions of socca or farinata on menus In Southern California, but they usually resemble something closer to a quiche or incredibly thick pancake. One of my favorites to make at home is this recipe. A few extra ingredients—kale, tomatoes, olives, round it out for a filling meal, and it requires an overnight rest, but the results are worth it.