Uruguayan recipe
How to make Fainá
Genoa, Italy, brought by Genoese immigrants
A thin, flat bake of chickpea flour, water and olive oil, cut into slices and sprinkled with pepper. In pizzerias people order a slice of pizza with a slice of fainá on top, called 'pizza a caballo'.
Ingredients
- 250 g chickpea flour (gram flour)
- 750 ml cold water
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for the tin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Whisk the chickpea flour with the water and salt until there are no lumps. Cover and leave it to rest for at least 1 hour, then skim off any foam.
- Heat the oven to its highest setting, about 250°C. Pour a generous layer of oil into a large round baking tin or roasting tin and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Stir the 5 tablespoons of oil into the batter and pour it carefully into the hot tin. It should be only about 5 mm deep.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the edges are crisp.
- Leave it to set for a few minutes, cut it into wedges, grind plenty of black pepper over it and serve warm, on its own or on top of a slice of pizza.
Made it at home? Tick it off and it goes into your kitchen passport.
Uruguayans celebrate Fainá Day on 27 August.
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