Calentita

Description

Translated as the warm one, calentita is the national dish of Gibraltar–an oven-baked meal that looks similar to a dark flour pizza without toppings. It is always served hot and consists of chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and seasonings such as salt and black pepper. Calentita originally appeared in the 16th century, when the Genoese migrants brought the recipe to Gibraltar. It is believed that the dish was named by street vendors who would shout the name in hopes to sell the calentita while still fresh and warm on a piece of greaseproof paper, and the word transferred its meaning from temperature to food. Today, calentita shares the name with a food festival that takes place every year on the streets of Gibraltar in a festive celebration of the island's multicultural society.