Faina (Argentine Chickpea Flatbread)

Faina is a thin, crisp flatbread made from chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and a generous dusting of black pepper, and it's a staple in Buenos Aires pizzerias. It arrived with Italian immigrants, mostly from Genoa, who brought their farinata recipe across the Atlantic and, over the decades, turned it into something distinctly Argentine.

In Buenos Aires, faina isn't really a stand-alone dish so much as a partner to pizza. Locals often order a slice of faina to lay right on top of a pizza slice, a combo known as "pizza a caballo" (literally "pizza on horseback"), and for many it's simply how a proper pizza night is done.

Faina (Argentine Chickpea Flatbread)

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• Author: Recetas123
• Prep Time: 10
• Resting time: 60
• Cook Time: 25
• Total Time: 95
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: Argentine

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 250 g of Chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) (2 cups)
• 750 ml of Cold water (3 cups)
• 90 ml of Olive oil (6 tablespoons)
• To taste of Salt
• To taste of Freshly ground black pepper (for topping)

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Instructions

1. Make the batter, in a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour into the cold water a little at a time until you have a smooth, lump-free liquid, then stir in the salt and half of the olive oil.
2. Let the batter rest, cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour; skim off the foam that rises to the top with a spoon, since leaving it in can make the faina taste slightly bitter.
3. Preheat the oven and prep the pan, heat your oven as hot as it will go (425-475°F), then coat a round metal baking pan generously with the remaining olive oil, all the way to the edges.
4. Pour and season, strain the batter into the hot pan to form a thin layer about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick, then generously dust the top with freshly ground black pepper.
5. Bake until golden, bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges start to turn deep brown and slightly crisp.
6. Slice and serve, let it cool for a few minutes, then cut into wedges or squares and serve warm.

Kitchen Tips

• Straining the batter before baking removes any lumps and gives you a more even texture.
• Preheating the pan before pouring in the batter helps the faina release easily and develop a crisper bottom crust.
• If you don't have a stone oven, placing the pan on the top rack helps you get that same deep golden color.

Traditional variations

• Some traditional pizzerias bake faina right in the wood-fired oven alongside the pizzas, which gives it a faint smoky flavor.
• Families of Genoese descent sometimes add a touch of rosemary to the batter, a nod back to the original Ligurian farinata.

Traditional Way to Serve It

In Buenos Aires, faina is traditionally served alongside pizza, with a slice laid right on top of a pizza slice in the classic combo known as "pizza a caballo." It's also enjoyed on its own with just a squeeze of lemon.

Recommended sides

• Mozzarella pizza
• Lemon wedges
• House red wine

Origin and Tradition

Faina arrived in Argentina with the wave of Genoese and Italian immigrants who settled in Buenos Aires in the late 19th century, bringing with them farinata, a very similar chickpea-flour dish from Liguria. Over time, faina became so woven into porteño food culture that it's hard to find a traditional Buenos Aires pizzeria today that doesn't have it on the menu, usually served as the essential companion to pizza.