Friuli Venezia Giulia: celebrating Christmas at the table is a journey through family traditions and Central European influences
Between familiar variations, jealously guarded, and Central European influences, Christmas is a journey to discover the gastronomic traditions of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The party is linked to memory and the pleasure of rediscovering one’s gastronomic roots. The territory boasts a rather varied culinary tradition, with influences from the neighboring countries of Austria and Slovenia. The result is a mix of unique flavors. Here then is an itinerary of unmissable taste…
(TurismoItaliaNews) Let’s start with cured meats, from San Daniele Dop ham to Pindula. Friuli Venezia Giulia is above all synonymous with the art of pork butchery. In the past, the pig was raised in households throughout the region. And November 30, the day of Sant’Andrea, coincided with the start date of the slaughtering of the “purcìt”. Famous all over the world is the San Daniele Dop ham, whose centuries-old tradition is carried on by the producers all located in the Municipality of San Daniele del Friuli. Sauris IGP ham is delicately aromatic and takes its name from the small village in Val Lumiei where it is produced. The butcher heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia is further enhanced by the pindula, smoked according to the Carnic tradition, which involves the use of beech, hazelnut and juniper, by the homemade Friulian salami, by the Cueste salam, by the Coccau filet and by the Sauris.
Very particular are the Fagagna pestàt, the sasaka and the varhackara. The first, a Slow Food presidium, is a preserve-condiment designed to preserve the aromas and flavors of the herbs and vegetables from the gardens in the pork lard in the autumn, while the sasaka, typical of Val Canale, is prepared with spiced lard and bacon , smoked and ground. Also created to enhance the lard by preserving scraps of salami, smoked speck, bacon, bacon and ossocollo inside, is the varhackara, a Slow Food presidium typical of Carnia.
Appetizers, the Toc in Braide
Among the popular appetizers on Christmas menus is Toc in braide, otherwise known as “dipping in the farm” (toc, in Friulian, means sauce) or as “polente cuinciade” or “seasoned polenta”. It is a tender polenta prepared with cornmeal, on which a fondue of various types of cheese is placed, including Montasio Dop. The dish is garnished with a sauce of melted butter, mixed with toasted cornmeal, or with the “morchia”, a residue of olive oil.
First courses: cjarsons, plum and jota gnocchi
Depending on the area of Friuli Venezia Giulia, there are many first courses associated with Christmas. Typical of the Carnia area are the cjarsons, ravioli with a mixture of flour and potatoes and a filling that can vary from family to family. Among the most common fillings are raisins, pine nuts, dark chocolate, spinach, cinnamon. The cjarsons are served with a sprinkling of scuete fumade, a cottage cheese smoked with forest wood.
In the area of the province of Gorizia, dumplings filled with plums are a must, recalling the Austro-Hungarian empire: at the time, in fact, plums were one of the most widespread crops. The pasta made with potatoes, flour and eggs wraps the plum filled with breadcrumbs, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. The peculiarity of this dish is certainly its versatility: first course, but also dessert. Moving towards Trieste there is the jota, a soup made with beans, sauerkraut and potatoes, flavored with garlic, cumin and bay leaves. Originally, the jota was a rural soup, prepared using products from the home garden and easily available products.
Second courses: Brovada and muset and tripe on Christmas Eve
A treasure of Friuli Venezia Giulia gastronomy is the brovada and muset recipe. The muset is a cotechino prepared with the lean cuts of the pig’s snout, from which it takes its name, usually boiled. It is accompanied by brovada, one of the DOP products of Friuli Venezia Giulia, obtained from the fermentation of white turnips with a purple collar, arranged in alternating layers in vats with marc. In a publication of 1860, a passage is reported which testifies to the custom, already existing in 1478, of preserving turnips in pomace.
Goulash from Trieste, on the other hand, has Hungarian origins: a dish based on meat, lard, sautéed onions and carrots, tomato purée and paprika. It is usually accompanied with polenta or mashed potatoes. The days before Christmas, in the Friuli of the past, were days extremely full of anticipation. Among the traditional meals eaten before the great celebrations in the city of Udine, a special custom was dedicated to tripe, considered “lean” food, served in the city taverns on Christmas Eve. The most common version was tripe with sauce and cheese, a dish long considered poor but always much appreciated.
Sweet influences: Gubana, Putizza and Presnitz
The Christmas season is that of the great leavened products. Even Friuli Venezia Giulia has its typical leavened product: the gubana, originally from the Natisone Valleys, is a dough spiral filled with walnuts, pine nuts, raisins, dried figs and prunes. Not too dissimilar from the gubana is the putizza, a typical dessert from Trieste with Slavic origins made from leavened dough filled with dried fruit, chocolate, raisins, honey and cinnamon. Another typical dessert from Trieste, common on Christmas tables, is the presnitz, made from puff pastry rolled up with a filling of walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, figs, plums, apricots, raisins, grated chocolate, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and Rum. It seems that it was prepared for the first time in 1832 in honor of Francis I and the Empress of Austria visiting the Julian city. The dessert, which originally bore the inscription “if you travel the world, come back here”, was awarded the “Preis Prinzessin” (Princess Prize), which was later called by the people of Trieste in presnitz. From the Natisone Valleys they select the strucchi, small bundles, with the same filling as the gubana, usually soaked in grappa. For lovers of curiosities, they were once offered instead of sugared almonds during weddings.
Sweet wines: Ramandolo and Picolit
The two most famous sweet wines of Friuli Venezia Giulia are the Ramandolo and Picolìt DOCG wines, which have made great progress in recent decades, becoming products of extraordinary finesse, capable of appearing with flying colors in any context. Between the two, Ramandolo can only be produced in a sub-area between the municipal areas of Nimis and Tarcento in the province of Udine, near the village of Ramandolo from which it takes its name. Picolìt, on the other hand, is obtained from grapes harvested throughout the hilly area, boasting the undisputed quality protected by the Docg. Both wines are an excellent pairing with Christmas desserts. For the New Year’s toast, however, the sparkling wine par excellence in Friuli Venezia Giulia is the sparkling Ribolla Gialla.