five & five
The five & five with aubergines is a typical street food of Livorno and has its roots in the first decades of the last century. At that time people got used to go to the "chickpea pie shop" to buy 5 lire of bread and 5 lire of pie. From there the name of five & five indicated a sandwich filled with chickpea cake and so it has remained until today. Pepper and then aubergines have been added to the simple bread and pie over the years. It is cooked, like pizza, in a wood oven pouring the liquid dough in a tin-plated copper pan.
The origins of the chickpea or farinata cake are to be found in Genoa, but Livorno holds the distinction of having used this delight based on chickpea flour to fill a sandwich. The chickpea cake can also be prepared in the home oven with good results.
To prepare the five & five with aubergines, we usually use loafs called francesini
(like the French bread) or small flatbreads (focaccine). They are stuffed with chickpea cake, a generous sprinkling of pepper and aubergines under pesto. They are fried and then marinate with vinegar and garlic.
Accompanied by a glass of blonde soda at the manner of the true Leghorn people