The word panissa originally referred to panicum a type of edible switchgrass, which could be ground into a flour and eaten. Over time, this flour was replaced by more palatable alternatives, one of which is produced from the chickpea. Panissa genovese uses almost the same exact ingredients as farinata, although panissa is made without olive oil, from a gruel of chickpea flour, water, and salt. It shares a possibly apocryphal origin with farinata - the result of food barrels, sent overboard during a storm, then salvaged by Genovese sailors. Traditionally, it is baked in a ceramic, bowl-shaped mold. Once baked, these semicircle mounds are then cut into cubes, served at room temperature or warmed up. They can also be cut into strips and deep-fried.