Ceci in zimino (chickpea soup genoese style)
Ceci in zimino (chickpea soup genoese style) was the dish traditionally served in Genoa on the Day of the Dead, 2 November, and by extension also on fasting days when a low-fat diet was prescribed, hence also on Christmas Eve.
Chickpeas have always been a popular ingredient throughout Liguria, one need only recall the typical farinata and panissa, which are made precisely with chickpea flour. Its rival as a soup legume, beans, later became part of local Ligurian cuisine and fagiolane (also known as ‘whites of Spain’) are found with tripe, for example. However, beans were more common in Piedmont and Tuscany: they were probably imported from these two neighbouring regions, certainly after the 16th century, since this legume is of American origin.
This soup is served with toasted bread, crostini or the typical Genoese gallette del marinaio (which you can buy here)
In Genoese cuisine we find many dishes with the name ‘zimino’, not only of vegetables and pulses, but also of fish and molluscs (cuttlefish in zimino is famous): what they have in common is the presence of chard and cooking in soup.
During our research, we found several hypotheses on the derivation of the term ‘zimino’: everyone agrees that it comes from Arabic, but there are those who maintain, like the Treccani, that it derives from the word ‘samīn’ which means ‘fat, buttery’, while others from the name of the crock in which the chickpeas are cooked or that it means ‘thick sauce’.
However, it is a type of soup that is quite common throughout the Mediterranean and other parts of Italy, where spinach is used instead of chard.
Although historically a vegetable-only dish, there are also homemade versions that include the addition of pork rind or sausage.
Ceci in zimino (chickpea soup genoese style)
INGREDIENTS FOR MAKING CHICKPEAS SOUP GENOESE STYLE
HOW TO MAKE CHICKPEA SOUP GENOESE STYLE
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Preparing the chickpeas
First prepare the chickpeas. If they are dry, they must be soaked for 24 hours (every 12 hours it would be better to change the water) then boiled for 2h / 2h30m in water with bay leaves and other scents until they are soft but still nice and firm: salt only at the last.
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Let's put the soup on
Meanwhile, let the mushrooms soak. Both the cooking water from the chickpeas and the water from the mushrooms should not be thrown away, but kept aside for the time being.
We sauté the onion, celery and garlic and then add the mushrooms and tomatoes. Leave to dry for ten minutes. -
Add the chickpeas and finish cooking
We chop the chard and add it together with the chickpeas. We add a ladleful of water from the chickpeas and, if desired, also some of the water from the mushrooms. We finish cooking for half an hour, the soup should not be too liquid.
Serve hot, accompanied by toasted bread, croutons or sailor's biscuits.
