A street food specialty of southeastern France, socca is the perfect flatbread for munching as an afternoon snack. And it goes great with a glass of rosé wine!
Socca Bread In South France
When I visited Nice a few years back, one of the ‘sights’ we were told we had to find was Chez Thérésa in the Cours Saleya open air market in the heart of Old Town.
Use up the rest of your chickpea flour with some chickpea fries!
The market was bustling with vendors, locals, and tourists. It was the hot spot to be on a beautiful day. And as we meandered with the crowd, we wondered if we would ever be able to find this famous Thérésa.
But then the crowd seemed to thicken, the air got slightly warmer, and a delicious toasted scent was distinct above the other wonderful smells of the market.
We were getting close.
As we peaked through the crowd, we realized it was in fact almost lunch time, and there was a large mass around a woman tending a steel drum. She took orders and directed patrons who desired to sit while pouring batter onto the large, fire-darkened top of the drum. The socca cooked in minutes, but the minutes dragged on in the presence of that heavenly scent, and as you realized the socca that your portion would come from was probably quite a few a way.
When the thin, crepe-like pancake was blistering nicely, Thérésa quickly sliced it into portions. Some went onto plates that were served to seated guests with a glass of rosé. Some were wrapped in paper cones and handed to those eagerly standing in line.
Socca: Chickpea Flatbread
Socca starts as a simple, thin batter of chickpea flour, water, and olive oil.
It is traditionally cooked over a fire, but a broiler or oven can work nicely instead.
No matter how you cook it, make sure you don’t wait to eat it. Socca is best if eaten piping hot with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
In my opinion, that’s the essence of street food: simple and delicious.
Socca (Chickpea Flat Bread)
Ingredients
- 1 c chickpea flour
- 1 c water
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients except the final Tbsp of olive oil. Stir until smooth.
- Let the batter rest on the counter for 30 min, to allow the flour to absorb some of the water.
- When you are ready to cook the socca, place the 1 Tbsp of oil in a 10” cast iron frying pan. Place the pan with the oil on your oven’s middle rack. Preheat your broiler to medium high.
- Once the oil and oven are hot, remove the pan from the oven, give the batter one good stir, and pour the batter into the hot pan.
- Immediately place the pan back into the oven under the broiler.
- Bake 10-15 min checking every few minutes, as baking times will vary depending on broiler. Your socca is done when the edges are pulling away from the sides of the pan and the top is beginning to blister from the heat.
- Transfer to a cutting board and slice into pieces. Serve warm with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Take a look at these other street food recipes form around the world!
Bread on the Boulevard
- Bavarian Soft Pretzels from The Foodie Army Wife
- Pao de Queijo from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Hand-Held Savory Eats
- Carnitas Tortas from Cookin’ Mimi
- Schnitzelwecken {Schnitzel on a bun} from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Tortas de Milanesa (Pork Cutlet Sandwiches) from Juanita’s Cocina
- Croque Monsieur from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Tandoori Chicken Wrap from Foxes Love Lemons
- Samosas from Soni’s Food
To-Go Containers
- NicaMales (Nicaraguan Street Food) from The Hand That Rocks The Ladle
- Poutine from Noshing with the Nolands
Sweets on the Streets
- Sweet Corn Tamale (Tamal Asado) from Basic N Delicious
- Pisang Goreng (Deep Fried Bananas) from Food Lust People Love
If you liked this recipe, here are some similar dishes you may enjoy!
Sarah is one of Curious Cuisiniere’s founding duo. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Tome T.
Tuesday 27th of February 2018
Fantastic. I made one with half water and half chicken stock, and just salt, and live oil. I wanted to taste what this tastes like mostly on it's own. Next time I will experiment with different seasonings.
This will make an excellent pizza crust, and crust for anything else one wants to top it with.
When I baked it I did it in 3 levels. My mom makes a broiled product similar to this, except it's made with wheat flour. I used a Balkan style heavy metal circular pan. I did heat the pan for 10 minutes, then turned the broiler to high, added olive oil and let that heat under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Then I ladled in one layer of the batter, swirled quickly to coat the bottom of the pan, then under the broiler for at least 3 minutes, until the top looked cooked and there were dark and blistered parts. Then, I ladled in another layer, and repeated the same with a third. With the 3rd and top layer I broiled it for about 4 minutes to make sure it was nicely baked.
It came out beautifully onto a flat plate. Crisp on the edges and lightly crisp all through due to the layering process. I want to try a smaller circular pan in order to get a thicker socca, and pour all the batter in at one time to try and get the crisp edges with a creamy middle. With my technique the end result was fantastic and crisper, which is how I prefer bread like products including pizza crust.
Thanks for the recipe. :)
Sarah Ozimek
Wednesday 28th of February 2018
Thanks for sharing Tome! We're so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
theninjabaker
Wednesday 28th of August 2013
Your post is so beautifully written, Sarah. I now want to book a flight to the South of France! I imagine that along with the smells of socca, you also enjoyed the lavender perfumed fields of Nice.
Renee Dobbs (@reneedobbs)
Tuesday 27th of August 2013
You are making me want two things: One to go to France and seek out this street food and two to make it in my cast iron skillet. What a simple pleasure to enjoy!
Megan Wood (@IRun4Wine)
Monday 26th of August 2013
Yum!! I have never had Socca before but look forward to making it! Thanks for sharing!
Sarah Reid, CNP (@jo_jo_ba)
Sunday 25th of August 2013
Socca is so good! I love cinnamon sugar and apples (or Nutella :-D) on mine
Sarah
Sunday 25th of August 2013
I've never tried it sweet. Now we've got to make it again!