How Chickpea Fries Became A Parisian Street Food Menu Staple

Head to any fast food restaurant in America and you'll likely spot a batch of crispy french fries somewhere on the menu that you can add to your meal as a salty side. In France, specifically along its picturesque southern coast, there exists a tasty variation of fries that has been a cultural staple in the region as far back as the 19^th century. Instead of using potatoes, chickpeas are the main ingredient of this Parisian street food, called panisse.

These tiny legumes give the fritters a hint of sweetness along with a lusciously soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture on the inside. Panisse absorbs added flavors much better than classic french fries do, so vendors and chefs will get creative with their zesting, adding spices like cumin, thyme, and garlic into the flour. Although, if you accompany them with a savory truffle aioli recipe, the chickpea fries themselves will taste divine without needing to add extra flavor. They certainly sound like a pillowy culinary dream compared to your average batch of salted McDonald's fries.

The humble chickpea has a long history in the world of gastronomy that cemented them as an important crop in Mediterranean cuisine. Also known as garbanzo beans, chickpeas survived so well in the rough soil conditions of Italy and France that people began to come up with flavorful new ways to enjoy eating them. Such abundant harvests meant that chickpea-based meals were cheap to make, and street food vendors' eyes were opened to the tasty potential behind selling panisse.

Panisse is said to have first appeared in Italy's port city of Genoa, likely inspired by a chickpea flatbread called farinata, and eventually eaten at Nice on the French Riviera. Nice is more well-known for its thin, toasty socca pancakes (similar to farinata), but a two-hour drive to the streets of France's oldest city, Marseille, will show you where the creamy fries have been perfected. Both cities claim to be the birthplace of French panisse. And although it's typically the cultural delicacy Marseille is most famous for, you can find creative versions of it throughout Nice, too.

Amidst of all the iconic European street food choices out there, you'll find that panisse can look very different around the Provence region. Whether it's served as a cube, triangle, or cut into chunky fries, these finger-licking snacks are a satisfying eat that isn't hard to bring from Parisian streets to your own kitchen. Chickpea flour can usually be found in stores, but you can blend dry chickpeas before mixing it with boiling water, salt, and other spices to create a batter that will be chilled overnight. Traditional panisse is typically fried, but if you'd rather skip out on excess oils, you can bake them or toss everything into an air fryer. Do as the French do, and try making a creamy aioli or homemade tzatziki sauce to dunk your golden, potato-less frites into.