Chickpea Fries Are A Beloved Street Food In The South Of France, And You Can Try Them At Home

While the origins of the fast food classic, french fries, remain a topic of contention and it's not likely they're actually from France, the distant cousin to the wedges of fried spuds is, in fact, a hallmark of southern French snacking. Panisse, which are essentially chickpea-flour fries, are savored across the streets of the South of France, particularly in the Provence and Nice regions. Traditionally prepared and sold by street vendors and in casual eateries, this satisfying snack is packed with plant-powered protein, scoring additional points on the nutrition scale. Panisse are fried 'til golden and crispy outside, but they remain moist and tender on the inside, and they have a nutty flavor that combines a little sweetness with a lot of savoriness. They're typically served simply, hot from the fryer with salt and pepper, but you might find them offered with a squeeze of lemon or a side of aioli.

You don't need to book a trip to France to try these chickpea fries. Making panisse at home is easy and quite similar to making its Italian counterpart, polenta fries — the key difference being that panisse requires chickpea flour instead of the cornmeal used in polenta. You simply whisk chickpea flour into boiling water and cook until the mixture is thick, let it cool and set, slice the chickpea mixture into fry-like wedges, and fry them to golden perfection. You should be able to find chickpea flour at any grocery store, but if you happen to live near an Indian market, you're guaranteed to find it there, though it might be called besan or gram flour.

This coveted French street snack is best enjoyed fresh, hot, and crispy, and food purists would likely prefer not to stray from the traditional norms. However, with the flavorful protein-rich canvas that panisse offers, you can explore unique ways to serve it, taking inspiration from other chickpea flour-based offerings popular in the South of France and other Mediterranean countries. For instance, panelle is a popular Sicilian treat in which fried chickpea fritters are served on a soft bunas a hearty sandwich. A slightly thinner, pourable batter can be cooked into a chickpea pancake called socca, which is another popular dish that hails from Provence. Socca's Italian counterpart, farinata, is also a popular street food in the coastal regions surrounding Genoa. Whatever they may be called, these chickpea flour pancakes make a great pizza crust.

Further afield, you might be intrigued to know that French panisse also shares striking similarities with the rich culinary cultures of Southeast Asia. Shan tofu, also known as Burmese tofu, is prepared almost the same way as panisse, and you can switch out the usual tofu with panisse in a sticky, sesame sauce or coated in a glossy ginger glaze. In Uruguay and Argentina, a version of farinata called faina is often served alongside a slice of pizza. What might have seemed like a niche, regional snack is, in fact, a clear example of the versatility and popularity of the humble chickpea, which transcends cultural differences of diverse regional cuisines.