It wouldn’t be wrong to call Farinata a distant relative of pizza, the world’s most favourite food. While the latter ended up becoming a global symbol for happiness, the former never really made out of Italy. Prepared with a lot of love and care with chickpea flour, herbs, copious amounts of olive oil and a little sprinkle of sea salt, this delicious savoury pancake shares several similarities with the besan chillas that Indians love feasting on. The lack of cheese and refined flour makes it a lot healthier than pizza. It serves as a staple in the coastal region of Italy, especially Liguria and is also a popular street food option.

I would have never known about the existence of this snack had it not been for an amiable old man who was managing a rustic take-away pizzeria in the town of La Spezia. While I was busy observing the small and evidently run-down establishment that brought fleeting images of the many Parsi cafes in Mumbai to my mind, the gentleman asked me to try some of the freshly made Farinata. And it was so appetizing that I cancelled my order of a large Pizza Margherita and bought a big box of this delight instead. I still hunt the menus of Italian restaurants in Kolkata with the hope of chancing upon a mention of Farinata. I haven’t been successful yet.