La Calentita / Calentita

La Calentita or Calentita refers to Gibraltar's national dish which is a chickpea pie of Genoese origin. Calentita is included in the food list of the many official receptions in Gibraltar and most of the persons have liked this particular dish very much. The origin of this particular dish is in Liguria and Genoa in Italy. Moreover, Calentita is actually a pancake of thick size which is made out from chickpea flour and is mixed with water, oil and then it is baked. The lip smacking delicacy of Calentita is made from chick flour. The name of Calentita is derived from the Spanish word which means "warm". Calentita is usually served hot just after it is taken out of the oven.It can be easily prepared at home using the oven. In the olden days, Calentita was sold in the streets by the vendors. In the streets of Genoa, Calentita, is still being sold during the winter seasons. The vendors selling them on the streets mostly used portable ovens to cook the dish and serve them to the buyers fresh from the oven when it is still warm. Calentita is known by the name of Faina in Argentina. Calentita has gained so much popularity that it has spread in many parts of the globe. In Nice, France too the equivalent of this dish is prepared. The cooking influences of Gibraltar include Genoa, Malta and Andalucia