Genoa is a port city with a long tradition of cooking the local catch. Fish is fried flawlessly in the historical “chippies” of the old town: it’s light and dry, usually served in a paper cone.
In Genoa, fried food appears from the moment you sit down at the table, and ‘fried’ in Liguria is synonymous with frisceu, typical savory fritters traditionally prepared for St Joseph’s Day (19 March) but now a fixed presence, as an appetizer or snack, on the counters of village festivals as well as on the tables of the most refined restaurants.
These small bundles of batter, prepared with flour, yeast, salt and sparkling water, are usually flavored with chives, sage, whitebait or salt cod, but it is not uncommon to find them as dessert also in a sweet version, with sultanas or apple slices and dusted with icing sugar.
Another must-try appetizer, especially for ‘outsiders’, is panissa. Not even remotely related to the Piedmontese rice dish of the same name, this delicacy is an ‘alter ego’ of farinata, with which it shares the ingredients (chickpea flour, water, oil and salt), combined in a batter that is thickened over the fire and then cut into rectangular sticks or cubes, then fried in olive oil and served hot.
Our favorite treat is to go to Boccadasse, grab some fried calamari sit down by the beach and enjoy the sunset.
Or if you prefer wandering around the old town – in the caruggi (narrow alleys) – we recommend you stop off at some Friggitoria in via di Sottoripa.
