Panisses Sucrées a Sweet Version Recipes from Nice

While panisse and socca include chickpea flour and water, the preparation and cooking for these typical Niçoise recipes are different. Like polenta, panisse starts with a dough cooked until it is thick. Then the dough is rolled or shaped and fried in a hot pan. Panisse is served hot and as a delicious side dish. While Marseille and Nice claim panisse as a local recipe, the origins are likely Ligurian, arriving with Italian immigrants in the 19th century.

The recipe below is a sweet version of panisse, where the dough preparation includes sugared water. The recipe below for Panisses Sucrée was translated and published with the permission of the Office de Tourisme Métropolitain Nice Côte d’Azur. Panisses are part of a collection of traditional Niçoise cooking in a cookbook that salutes the Cuisine Nissarde –  Carnets de cuisine du Comté de Nice. Purchase the book at the tourist office in Nice or online at Amazon.

So What is 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, 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. There is even a movie dedicated to the beloved dish “We eat socca here.”

Sweet Panisse (les panisses frites au sucre)

Carnets de cuisine du Comté de Nice

In Niçoise the sweet snack is called li panissa fregidi au sucre. Enjoy!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cuisine Nissarde, French, Provencal

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• 1 saucepan with lid (2-quart) 2 quart
• 1 skillet non-stick with lid (12-inch)

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 3.5 oz chickpea flour
• 6 oz sunflower oil
• 1 cup Water
• 1/2 oz Sugar
• Icing Sugar for sprinkling on top

Instructions

 

• Boil the water and the sugar in a saucepan.
• Slowly pour in the chickpea flour and whisk quickly to avoid lumps. Strain if necessary.
• Cook for about 10 minutes, whisking continuously.
• Pour onto saucers and allow to cool for at least an hour. Cut the dough into chips. Fry them on high heat in a heavy skillet and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Notes

You can use ready-made panisses to "save time" and roll them in granulated sugar instead of icing sugar.

As a variation, sprinkle the panisse with a few drops of orange blossom water.

Keyword Chickpeas

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Additional Chickpea Recipes:

Chickpea and Fennel Salad

The perfect salad to serve with any main dish. It is easy to prep and can be made ahead of time; store in the fridge until serving! 

Check out this recipe

Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

A vegetable filled salad that can be enjoyed during any time of the year!

Check out this recipe

Chickpea and Spinach Gratin

This vegetarian dish is made with chickpea and spinach gratin baked in breadcrumbs and drizzled in olive oil.

Check out this recipe

Roasted Chickpea and Shallot Spread

Like hummus but not quite, the roasted shallots and chickpeas give this spread extra flavour.

Check out this recipe

Provencal Chickpea Soup (Fourmade)

Easy to master: Provencal chickpea soup is so surprisingly rich and luxurious tasting that even my 9-year-old son is convinced it has cream.

Check out this recipe

Carolyne Kauser-Abbott

With her camera and laptop close at hand, Carolyne has traded in her business suits for the world of freelance writing and blogging. Her first airplane ride at six months of age was her introduction to the exciting world of travel.

While in Provence, Carolyne can be found hiking with friends, riding the hills around the Alpilles or tackling Mont Ventoux. Her attachment to the region resonates in Perfectly Provence this digital magazine that she launched in 2014. This website is an opportunity to explore the best of the Mediterranean lifestyle (food & wine, places to stay, expat stories, books on the region, travel tips, real estate tips and more), through our contributors' articles.

Carolyne writes a food and travel blog Ginger and Nutmeg. Carolyne’s freelance articles can be found in Global Living Magazine, Avenue Magazine and City Palate (Published Travel Articles).