The Canon

Merda de can

Merda de canlij

Also: Monégasque spinach gnocchi, Barba-Giuan family (spinach dumpling)

A rustic Monégasque dish of small spinach-and-flour gnocchi-like dumplings (the name is a humorous reference to their shape), boiled and dressed with sauce and cheese.

Identity criteria

  1. 1Dough of cooked spinach (or chard) bound with flour and egg
  2. 2Shaped into small soft logs/dumplings, hence the irreverent name
  3. 3Boiled like gnocchi until they float
  4. 4A green, vegetal dumpling rather than a potato gnocco
  5. 5Served simply with a sauce (tomato or butter) and grated cheese

Components

Base

Cooked spinach or chardessentialGives the green colour and vegetal flavour

Binder

Flour and eggessentialBinds the greens into a workable dough

Seasoning

Salt, pepper, nutmegessentialTypical seasoning for the spinach dough

Garnish

Grated cheese and a sauce (tomato or butter)optionalDressing for the boiled dumplings

Technique

Squeezing and chopping cooked greens
Removes water so the dough binds rather than slumps
Shaping small dumplings/logs
Defines the form (and the joke name)
Boiling until they float
Cooks the dumplings through while keeping them tender

Form & serving

Served
Boiled dumplings dressed with sauce and cheese
Temperature
hot
Portion
single plate
Pairs with
tomato sauce · grated Parmesan or local cheese · rosé wine

Character

Flavour

greenvegetalsavourynutmeg-scented

Texture

soft, tender green dumplings

Eaten

A homely Monégasque comfort dish, made from garden greens and served as an everyday family main.

When

all-year

Variations & related

Regional variations

  • Chard version · Monaco / Ligurian coast

    Made with Swiss chard instead of spinach

  • Tomato-dressed vs butter-and-cheese · Monaco

    Either a simple tomato sauce or browned butter with cheese

Related dishes

  • sibling Gnudi

    Tuscan spinach-and-ricotta dumplings of the same idea

  • sibling Malfatti

    Italian spinach-ricotta dumplings

Substitutions

  • Spinach → Swiss chardadmissible

    Traditional and interchangeable in the region

  • Green spinach dough → Potato gnocchi doughinadmissible

    A potato gnocco is a different dish; the spinach is the defining base

Common mistakes

  • Not draining the spinach so the dough is too wet to hold
  • Adding too much flour, making the dumplings heavy and gluey
  • Boiling too hard so the soft dumplings break apart
  • Treating it as potato gnocchi rather than a greens-based dumpling

Provenance

A traditional Monégasque grandmother's dish shared with the neighbouring Ligurian/Niçoise coast, its earthy name reflecting the humble peasant origin.

Claimed by: Monaco

References

  1. 1.Monégasque regional cuisine

Confidence: medium