Ligurian chickpea flour cuculli

Ligurian chickpea flour cuculli are typical starters from Ligurian cuisine, often served by the local restaurants of inland Liguria as an appetiser before starting a meal.

They are a true street food, served in straw paper cones at village festivals. They are to be eaten with your hands, which get greasy and covered with salt…They are often confused with frisceu, which are instead based on wheat flour, while cuculli are prepared with chickpea flour (heavily used in traditional Ligurian cuisine, just think of panissa and farinata) and are therefore completely gluten-free.

If you like fried food, I recommend you try them. They are very easy to prepare. You can flavour them as you like. I have included sage and rosemary. Many people add chives or thinly sliced spring onions.

The only problem is that they have to be left to rise for a long time: 6/8 hours or all night long. But it is worth the trouble and you can serve your guests something really tasty and original. The flavour is reminiscent of Arab falafel, reminding us that at the end of the day cooking links us to other peoples and tells us wonderful stories.