Food & Tradition

At the heart of a traditional Friulian home once stood the Fogolâr, the open hearth in the middle of the kitchen, around which the family would gather. In the osterie of Udine, the evening begins with a Tajut, the small glass of wine taken at the bar, and grappa rounds off the meal.

Frico is a dish made of cheese, often Montasio, fried crisp in a pan. A softer version includes potatoes and onions. It comes from Carnia, the mountainous region to the north, and shows how shepherd's cooking spread throughout the region. A spirit with a clear, dry character cuts through the richness of the cheese.

Cjarsons, also from Carnia, are stuffed pasta parcels where sweet and savoury fillings meet — think spinach, ricotta, chives, dark chocolate and jam. Prosciutto di San Daniele from the province of Udine is mild and slightly sweet, pairing well with a soft fruit brandy.

Gubana is a yeasted pastry filled with nuts and dried fruit, with grappa worked into both dough and filling. It's known in Cividale del Friuli and the Valli del Natisone. Here the spirit doesn't go into the glass but into the cake. The pastry is considered a festive treat, especially at Easter and Christmas.

Friuli borders Austria and Slovenia, and the cuisine shows it. Jota, a soup of beans and sauerkraut, is known in Trieste and on the Karst plateau. A spirit often follows such a meal. The idea that it speeds up digestion, however, doesn't hold up: alcohol tends to slow the stomach's emptying rather than speed it, even after a bowl of Jota. The relief that follows is simply relaxation.