Barbagiuan
Monaco's national dish, genuinely shared with the neighboring Niçois and Ligurian culinary region reflecting Monaco's historical ties to the County of Nice and House of Savoy — across the Italian border the same pastry appears as barbagiuai, but typically pumpkin-filled rather than chard-filled, a real point of divergence. Folk tradition holds the name means 'Uncle John' in Monégasque, after a cook who, lacking sauce for his ravioli, stuffed and fried the dough instead — treat that as a charming story, not verified history. The genuine authenticity marker often skipped in simplified versions is cooked rice folded into the chard-and-ricotta filling, and true barbagiuan is deep-fried, not baked.
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Egg, Dairy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 300g flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 egg
- Water, as needed
- 300g Swiss chard, blanched and chopped
- 200g ricotta
- 50g grated Parmesan
- 100g cooked short-grain rice
- 1 leek, sweated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 egg, beaten (for filling)
- Nutmeg, salt, pepper
- Oil, for deep-frying
Steps
- Mix the flour, olive oil, egg, and enough water into a smooth, thin dough. Rest.
- Combine the blanched chard, ricotta, Parmesan, cooked rice, sweated leek, garlic, beaten egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper for the filling.
- Roll the dough thin and cut into rounds or squares.
- Place a spoonful of filling on each, fold into half-moons or triangles, and seal the edges firmly.
- Deep-fry at 180°C (350°F) until golden and crisp, about 1 minute per side.
- Drain and serve hot.