Panissa soup is Gibraltar's version of a broader Ligurian-Mediterranean chickpea tradition that traveled the sea routes of the Genoese merchant empire. In Genoa itself, 'panissa' refers to a cold-set chickpea flour cake; in Gibraltar the word migrated to describe a warm, thick chickpea soup that represents everyday thrift cooking at its most satisfying. Genoese families who settled in Gibraltar from the 18th century onwards brought this habit of stretching chickpeas with seasonal vegetables into a warming evening meal, and the dish has remained in the home cooking repertoire even as Gibraltar's more glamorous dishes — calentita, rosto, relleno — attracted more attention. The soup is built in layers. The base begins with a classic soffritto of garlic, carrot, and celery in good olive oil, which provides an aromatic sweet foundation. The chickpeas — ideally soaked and cooked from dried for the best texture, though canned work well — are added with vegetable stock and simmered until completely soft. The critical finishing step is partial blending: approximately half the soup is blended or mashed and stirred back into the whole, thickening the broth to a dense, porridge-like consistency while leaving enough whole chickpeas and vegetable pieces to give textural interest. A final drizzle of raw olive oil and a squeeze of lemon directly in the bowl is the traditional Gibraltarian service.
Serves 4
Warm the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the garlic (sliced or crushed), diced carrots, and sliced celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7–8 minutes until the vegetables have softened and the garlic is fragrant but not browned.
Don't rush the soffritto — these 8 minutes build the flavour base the entire soup rests on.
Add the drained chickpeas to the pot and stir for a minute so they coat in the aromatic oil. Pour in the vegetable stock — it should cover the chickpeas by about 3–4 cm. Raise the heat to bring to a full boil.
Reduce to a steady simmer, add a pinch of salt (season lightly here — you will adjust at the end), and cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes until the chickpeas are very soft and the carrots are completely tender. If canned chickpeas were used, the vegetables will be the indicator — they should yield easily to a fork.
A splash of water or extra stock during simmering is fine if the soup reduces too much.
Use a ladle to transfer roughly half the soup to a blender, or use an immersion blender directly in the pot on about half the contents. Blend until smooth, then stir back into the pot. The result should be thick and creamy with islands of whole chickpeas and vegetable pieces.
Taste and adjust salt carefully — the soup should be well-seasoned throughout, not just on the surface. Add a generous grinding of black pepper. If it's too thick, thin with a little hot water or stock to your preferred consistency.
Ladle into deep bowls. Drizzle each bowl with a tablespoon of your best raw extra-virgin olive oil, squeeze a wedge of lemon over the top, and scatter a few fresh thyme or parsley leaves if available. Serve with thick slices of crusty bread for dipping.
If using dried chickpeas, soak 200g overnight in cold water, drain, and simmer in fresh water for 45–60 minutes until tender before using in this recipe. The cooking water can replace some of the vegetable stock for extra body.
A small piece of Parmesan rind added with the stock is a Genoese trick that adds depth and umami without making the soup taste cheesy — remove before serving.
Fresh rosemary (1 sprig, removed before blending) or dried thyme both suit this soup well; add them with the chickpeas.
For a deeper, more complex soup, roast the garlic and carrots in a 200°C oven for 20 minutes before adding them to the pot — this caramelises their natural sugars.
The soup thickens considerably as it sits. Always reheat with a splash of water or stock and stir well to loosen.
Panissa with greens: add 100g of shredded cavolo nero or spinach in the last 5 minutes of cooking — it wilts into the thick broth and adds iron and colour.
Smoky pancetta version: render 80g of diced pancetta or smoked bacon in the olive oil before adding the vegetables for a richer, meaty soup.
Spiced panissa: add 1 tsp of cumin and ½ tsp of smoked paprika with the garlic for a North African-inflected version that reflects Gibraltar's proximity to Morocco.
Pasta e ceci style: add 80g of small pasta (ditalini, broken spaghetti) in the last 10 minutes of cooking and cook until al dente, turning the soup into a more substantial one-bowl meal.
Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. The soup thickens significantly on cooling — always add a good splash of water or stock when reheating and stir well. It freezes very well for up to 3 months; cool completely before freezing in individual portions.
The chickpea traditions of Gibraltar's Genoese settlers reach back to Liguria's ancient cucina povera, where chickpeas were a dietary staple long before New World ingredients arrived in Europe. Genoese merchants traded through the Western Mediterranean from the 12th century, and their food habits traveled with them. The Gibraltarian panissa soup represents a branch of this tradition that took root in the British colony from the 18th century, adapting slightly to local taste and available ingredients while retaining the essential Ligurian character of chickpeas and olive oil.
Yes, and the result will be noticeably better. Soak 200g of dried chickpeas in cold water overnight, drain, then simmer in fresh unsalted water for 45–60 minutes until completely tender. Use them in place of canned, and substitute some of their cooking liquid for part of the vegetable stock.
Blend more of the soup — up to three-quarters if needed. Alternatively, use the back of a spoon to mash some of the chickpeas directly in the pot. Simmering uncovered for an extra 10 minutes also reduces and thickens the liquid.
Yes — made as written it is entirely plant-based. Avoid adding the Parmesan rind variation if serving to vegans. All other flavour additions described are vegan-friendly.
Yes — panissa soup actually tastes better after a day in the fridge as the flavours deepen. Make it 1–2 days ahead, refrigerate, and reheat gently with a little extra stock. Add the final raw olive oil drizzle and lemon squeeze only when serving.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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