Ρεβιθάδα / Revithada (Slow-Cooked Chickpea Soup)

Greek Fast With Oil Published April 10, 2026

Revithada is the Sunday dish of Sifnos, the Cycladic island famous for its pottery and its chickpeas. Traditionally it is sealed in a clay pot and baked overnight in the communal wood-fired oven, so it is ready after church. The result is unlike any chickpea dish you have had — the long, slow cooking turns the chickpeas impossibly creamy, and the broth becomes thick and golden from the olive oil and lemon.

You do not need a wood-fired oven. A regular oven set low and a covered pot will give you an excellent result. What you do need is patience and good chickpeas.

FASTING LEVEL: Fast With Oil
SERVINGS: 6
TIME: 3-4 hours in the oven (plus overnight soaking)

INGREDIENTS

- 500g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight with 1 teaspoon baking soda, drained and rinsed
- 120ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
- Juice of 2 lemons (about 5 tablespoons)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 6-7 cups water
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Crusty bread, for serving

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F.

2. Combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, olive oil, onions, garlic, lemon juice, bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, and paprika in a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven. Add the water — it should cover the chickpeas by about 3cm.

3. Stir gently, cover tightly with a lid (or seal with aluminum foil and then a lid), and place in the oven.

4. Bake for 3-4 hours, checking once after 2 hours and adding more water if the level has dropped below the chickpeas. The revithada is done when the chickpeas are completely tender and creamy — almost falling apart — and the broth has turned thick and golden.

5. Remove from the oven. Season generously with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves.

6. Serve in deep bowls with additional lemon wedges and bread. A drizzle of raw olive oil over each bowl is traditional.

NOTES

- The baking soda in the soaking water helps soften the chickpea skins and reduces cooking time. Rinse thoroughly after soaking.
- Traditional Sifnos revithada uses no tomato at all. The golden color comes purely from the olive oil, lemon, and long cooking. Do not add tomato.
- If you want a shorter cooking time, you can simmer on the stovetop for 1.5-2 hours, but the oven method produces a noticeably better texture.
- The whole garlic cloves will melt into the broth during cooking. This is intentional.
- Leftovers thicken into almost a paste. Add water and lemon juice when reheating.