How to make delicious gluten free flatbread with chickpea flour - Socca Recipe

Learn how to make a delicious gluten-free and vegan chickpea flatbread known in the south of France as socca.
Socca is the ubiquitous street food found all over southeastern France, most notably in Nice and more specifically around the Cours Saleya market. When cooked perfectly, it is best straight from the pan and served very hot, replete with addictively crispy edges and lightly seasoned with flake sea salt, a touch of cumin, and perhaps a drizzle of olive oil. It makes the perfect merenda, or midday snack, with a bottle of rosé (who drinks just one glass?) to keep you active while searching for treasures in the narrow streets of Vieux Nice.
It is hard to pinpoint the exact origins of socca or soca as it is spelled in the Niçard dialect, though the modern version is likely to have crossed borders from Italy where it is known as farinata. Wikipedia mentions a possible origin story of a group of Roman soldiers cooking chickpea flour on a shield. Chez Pipo, a Nice legend since 1923, mentions that the inhabitants of Nice used to stash large quantities of chickpea flour and olive oil to weather long sieges both by invading Italian and French forces. It is also is very popular in various forms and guises all around the Mediterranean.
But you don’t need to travel to Nice to taste this southern French specialty. It’s easy to make at home and makes for a dramatic show to cook in front of friends while enjoying an apero. I have researched dozens of similar online recipes and concluded that what most authors get wrong is the cooking method and consistency. Traditionally it is cooked in a copper pan over an open fire that subtly flavors the socca with wood smoke and keeps the edges perfectly crispy and the socca thin. I used a cast iron pizza ‘stone’ that I bought at a large department store for $25 and threw over my charcoal grill. It worked flawlessly, I closed my eyes and felt transported to the French Riviera. and could even faintly hear the cries of the socca vendors.
Socca
A gluten-free chickpea pancake that everyone will love
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Italian, Provencal
Keyword chickpea, socca
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
1 cup chickpea flour
1 pinch sea salt
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch salt
1 cup of water
3 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Put into a glass jar and let sit for a day.
Build a charcoal fire. Put cast iron pizza 'stone' over the fire. Liberally oil. Pour chickpea batter over and tilt the pan until all the runny batter is in contact with cast iron. Cook till crispy, then flip and finish cooking. It usually takes me 2 or 3 minutes.
Lift pan out of the fire and serve at the table. I usually drizzle a bit of olive oil on top and sprinkle flake sea salt.
Recipe Notes
Southern French 'Chips and Salsa': serve socca tableside with ratatouille as a dip.

[@aquahuggies]

ooh la la ! Merci beaucoup!! I am in the South of France and not speaking French yet, had no idea socca was gluten free! I'm going to make this and look out for it when I'm out and about in this beautiful country! Thank you so much!

[@PistouandPastis]

Super!

[@maryserobinson5781]

I am so happy to have found your recipe. The way I see it, it’s like in Nice. It was always my favorite treat when we went to the market.
A must go, a must eat, and now I am going to make it at home. Thank you.

[@ThePhillipBotha]

Thank you.

[@PistouandPastis]

you are most welcome

[@suecollins3246]

That's what I'm looking for - a chickpea flatbreads that tastes like falafel!

[@PistouandPastis]

Sue, did you try it?

[@humanitiesprofessor1912]

You need far more practice. IJS

[@PistouandPastis]

Thanks for watching. Been making socca for a long time - no more practice needed. Enjoy