The ndunderi of Minori

Voted City of Taste, Minori boasts the preservation of the oldest pasta dish, the ndunderi, a kind of fresh gnocchi (but beware of calling them gnocchi) made from a mixture of flour and ricotta cheese. It is traditional, both in the past and today, that they are eaten on the days of the solemn celebrations in honour of Santa Trofimena (13 July, 5 and 27 November), the patron saint of the town. Although by now the recipe is popular enough to be eaten all year round. As for the name, some associate it with the sound it made when it fell into the basin, while others trace it back to the weights used for fishing, which in ancient times were called ‘ndunderi’ and which the pasta resembles in shape.
Their history is very ancient. It seems, in fact, that they are a variant of the ‘Latin balls’ of Roman origin. It was then the Minoan pasta-makers who modified the recipe, the same ones who in the 18th century crossed the Monti Lattari and moved to Gragnano where they established the modern pasta industry. The ingredients of the original recipe were spelt flour mixed with curdled milk and wild fig latex. The current recipe, on the other hand, calls for a mixture of flour and ricotta cheese, replacing the curdled milk. The ndunderi were rediscovered and re-launched in the 1990s by Amalfi historian and gastronomist Ezio Falcone.
According to some historical sources, the condiment with which they were originally served was moretum, a creamy fresh cheese made from first-salt pecorino cheese, aromatic herbs found on the coast, oil and salt. It originated in Ancient Rome, where it was prepared with the aid of a mortar, the name of which derives from the Latin moretarium (i.e. tool for making moretum). Today, the preferred condiment for ndunderi is a tomato sauce cooked with pork rinds, chops and sausage, but they can be combined with any type of sauce.
It is said that it was once customary for the villagers to take part in the procession of Saint Trofimena in their fine dark clothes, with a starched white shirt on whose collar, however, a spot of red sauce stood out, thus testifying that they honoured the patron saint.
For those who want to prepare ndunderi at home, here is the recipe.
Ingredients
250 grams of cow’s milk ricotta
3 egg yolks
30 grams of grated cow’s cheese
250 grams of flour
salt
pepper
nutmeg
Procedure
Make a sort of small volcano with the flour and in the middle add the egg yolks, ricotta, grated cheese, salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Once the ingredients have been added, knead everything vigorously by hand until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
After kneading, the dough should be reduced to a long string, not too thin, and then cut into chunks that should be made concave by the light pressure of a finger or two fingers, depending on the size determined. Next, the chunks are slid, one by one, onto the concavity of a grater, a fork or a ridged board called a ‘ pettine ’.
Now let the chunks rest for an hour on a tray dusted with flour (so they don’t stick together), then cook them in boiling salted water until they rise to the surface and when ready, season them with the sauce.
Photo © Cesarine