Mesciua (Mes-ciüa)
Overview
Mesciua is a thick soup of La Spezia in Liguria made from three dried ingredients: chickpeas, cannellini beans and farro, the old hulled wheat. Each is soaked overnight and cooked separately, because they need different times, and then they are combined in their cooking water and simmered together for a few minutes so that the flavours blend. The soup is not stirred into a purée but keeps the shape of every grain and bean. It is served in deep bowls and seasoned only at the table, with a generous pour of raw Ligurian olive oil, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. The name means a mixture in the Spezzino dialect.
History
The soup is linked to the port of La Spezia. According to local tradition, the wives of the camalli, the port porters, swept up the grains and pulses that spilled from torn sacks as ships were unloaded and cooked them together in one pot. The earliest versions used only cereals and chickpeas; beans arrived from the Americas and were added later. Mesciua is still cooked in the trattorias of La Spezia and is listed among the traditional foods of Liguria.
Main ingredients
Chickpeas, cannellini beans, farro, olive oil, black pepper. The soup is built on thick bean, chickpea and spelt soup and is usually served hot. Diet: vegan; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Chickpea soups · Bean soups · More soups from Italy
Recipe
Method
- 1
Soak the chickpeas, beans and farro separately overnight.
- 22 h
Cook the chickpeas and beans separately in unsalted water until tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
- 340 min
Cook the farro in salted water for about 40 minutes.
- 410 min
Combine everything in a pot with enough cooking water to make a thick soup and simmer for 10 minutes.
- 5
Serve with raw olive oil, salt and plenty of black pepper.
- ✓
Serve. About 2h 45m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
