What is the national dish of Monaco? Monaco is a sovereign microstate completely surrounded by France, so it is not a surprise that its local cuisine is pretty similar to the surrounding area of the French Riviera and even Liguria in Italy. However, Monaco can also claim a unique dish that is purely Monegasque: the barbagiuàn. This name means “Uncle John” in the Monegasque language, which is related to Ligurian, and it is also sometimes spelled barbajuan in French. The barbagiuan is a fried dough pocket (sometimes referred to as a fried ravioli) filled with leafy greens and ricotta cheese, and sometimes rice. When we were recently in the south of France we decided to take a day trip to Monaco, and of course, we had to sample the local micro-cuisine and report back. On many menus we spied what would generally be considered Provençal food: Niçoise Salad, Pissaladière, and fougasse bread, to name a few, but we found a few places focusing more on street food and snacks also had the humble barbagiuan.
We tried two versions at Monaco’s lively La Condamine market at the Place d’Armes (open every day from 7 AM to 3 PM): A Roca, located in the outer portion of the market, and another unnamed stall in the enclosed and air conditioned section in the center of the market (near stalls selling seafood). The version from the unnamed stall version looked more like an empanada with a neatly crimped edge (top in photo), and the other from A Roca was more freeform with folded over dough, with some of the filling peeking out. In both cases, a barbagiuan struck me as a cross between an Argentine empanada and a Greek spanikopita. Both versions were delicious, and had a tender crust around a warm, satisfying savory filling. Unlike many things in Monaco, this is also an economical treat: each will run you less than €1.50. We could see ourselves eating these every day as a snack, though of course they are not readily available outside of Monaco and surrounds. Here is a family recipe for barbagiuan direct from Monaco, if you would like to make your own.
Eating The World 