Barbagiuan

Medium·50 min active + 30 min resting

Monaco's national dish — small ravioli-shaped pastries stuffed with Swiss chard, ricotta, rice, and Parmesan, crimped shut and deep-fried until blistered and golden. The name means 'Uncle John' in Ligurian.

Barbagiuan (Barbajuan) is the national dish of Monaco, eaten especially on National Day (19 November). It is shared with old Nice and western Liguria, where a pumpkin-filled winter variant is called barbagiuai.

Bite a barbagiuan and the fried pastry shatters and crackles into a soft, green, creamy filling of chard and ricotta. Bite: the shell is crisp and faintly oily, the filling earthy from the chard, rich and milky from the ricotta, savory with Parmesan and nutmeg. A few bites of green-and-cheese comfort with a crisp shell — Monaco's festive little parcel.

Blanching and squeezing the chard removes water so the filling stays firm and the pastry crisps rather than steams. Ricotta and a little rice bind the greens into a sliceable filling; sealing the edges keeps oil out during frying, so the shell blisters crisp while the filling merely heats through.

Variations

Pumpkin-filled winter version (barbagiuai). Baked instead of fried. With spinach instead of chard. With a leek-heavy filling. With pine nuts and raisins. Tiny cocktail size.

On the Palate

Where Barbagiuan sits in the Monégasque flavor cloud

Cook to learn

Blanch and wring the chard bone-dry before mixing — any water left in the greens leaks out in the fryer, steams the pastry from inside, and leaves it pale and soft instead of blistered-crisp.

Techniques

Deep Frying Blanching

Ingredients

Serves 6

How it's made

8 steps · 50 min active + 30 min waiting

1
35 min
Make a pastry from 300 g flour, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 egg, and water; knead and rest 30 min.
2
8 min
Blanch 400 g Swiss chard leaves; squeeze dry and chop finely.
Watch out
After squeezing, the chopped chard should feel almost dry and fluffy, not clumped and wet.
3
8 min
Mix the chard with 200 g ricotta, 60 g cooked rice, 50 g grated Parmesan, 1 egg, 1 chopped leek, and nutmeg.
4
8 min
Roll the pastry very thin and cut into 8-cm squares.
5
12 min
Place a spoon of filling on each square; fold into a triangle or rectangle and crimp the edges sealed.
6
4 min
Heat oil to 175°C.
Watch out
Test one parcel first: the oil should sizzle briskly the moment it goes in — too quiet means it's not hot enough.
7
4 min
Fry the barbagiuan 3-4 min, turning, until blistered and deep golden.
Watch out
Pull them when the shell is blistered and deep golden all over, turning once for even colour.
8
2 min
Drain and serve hot as a starter or appetizer.