The other day I posted on Instagram that I was eating a fainá… and many of you liked the picture. But I was wondering if most of you know what a fainá is… I learned about it during my one and only visit to Buenos Aires a couple of years ago.
When you look at the picture above, you just say it’s a pizza, right?? But this is no ordinary pizza… A fainá is a flatbread made with chickpea flour, very typical in Argentina. They usually serve it as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to pizza. But, you can also order a fainá as the CRUST of a pizza, topping it with cheese and any of the traditional pizza toppings, making it a gluten-free alternative.
When we were in Argentina, we went to this little pizzeria in our neighborhood and the owner would make pizza using fainá as the crust. I am not kidding you when I tell you we went almost every day to eat dinner there.
In Puerto Rico, we have an Argentinean pizzeria Juan Pan Pizza, which serves us pizza in a fainá crust. If you call ahead, they’ll make you individually-sized pizzas with a very thin and crispy fainá crust. Usually fainá is a tad thick… and in a pinch, they’ll just top the fainá they have on hand and top it with your favorite pizza toppings.
You see? There are gluten-free alternatives wherever you go… Hope you visit Juan Pan Pizza soon if you live in Puerto Rico or now get to order a fainá on your next trip to Buenos Aires.
KarmaFree Cooking 
That looks pretty delicious.
it tastes pretty amazing too!!! and gluten-free to boot!!!!
Hi can you tell me the name (if you remember) of the pizzaria in Buenos Aires that serves faina as the crust? I live here in BA and find gluten free/ faina pizza in a resto is impossible. I have searched this city high and low!
Kaitlyn… I can’t remember. But they did this custom made for us. Most pizzerias in Buenos Aires already have fainá… all you need to ask for is if they can prepare the pizza toppings of your choice using the fainá as the crust. It’s not something available on a menu, it’s something you can certainly and definitely request. If it’s of some help, I stayed in the Hotel Dazzler Laprida in Recoleta (Calle Laprida 1910) So it’s either in Calle Laprida or on Calle Pena, which is the other street where the hotel is located. Just a few blocks form the hotel. Hope this helps… Madelyn.