Food and Wine in Italy
Discover Italy's Unspoilt Region, Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is the smallest and least travelled region in Italy. It's hidden culinary delights are just waiting to be discovered.
FVG, as the area is otherwise known, is a region in the north east of Italy frequently disregarded by travellers and rarely visited by Italians themselves so it’s no wonder Friuli-Venezia Giulia is completely underrated as a holiday destination.
The alpine villages in Udine, coastal towns of Trieste and forests in Pordenone offer various activities and tours, tempting travellers from the familiar neighbouring Veneto and the canals of Venice.
What Has Friuli-Venezia Giulia To Offer?
Friuli-Venezia Giulia has been patiently waiting to be discovered since it was granted autonomy in 1963. It’s a small region with a big history. Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian and Croatian influences are evident in its culture, history, and therefore in the food, which makes for a great culinary travel experience.
Dishes of Friuli have the most Italian influence and resemble much of the rest of the country but they also have their own variations.
Prosciutto, Montasio and Polenta
Prosciutto di San Daniele, a sweet cured ham differs from its more popular cousin, prosciutto di Parma, not just by name but how it's produced - which remains a guarded secret. Montasio cheese, a cow’s milk cheese that can mature for up to 10 months, increases in flavour the longer it’s aged and when it gets too hard there’s no wastage, the Fruiliari just grate it like Parmesan or cut it into thin wafer slices and grill it. Then there are the vast corn fields that churn out enough corn to sate the region’s appetite for polenta, which in some places supersedes the demand for bread.
Made from boiled corn meal, polenta accompanies most dishes in FVG. They use it in soups, pasta dishes, cooked with tomato sauce and peppers. It can be served in its creamy, just cooked, natural state or left to solidify then baked or fried. Making it, like many Italian tomato sauce and wine, is a family affair and recipes are handed down from generation to generation.
Influences of Austria and Slovenia
The cuisine of Venezia Giulia has a tendency to reflect Austrian and Slavic cooking. Jota, a soup, made with beans, potatoes and sauerkraut and Porcina, a pork, sauerkraut, and horseradish stew have both become specialities of the region though they were once looked upon as peasant food. Goulash and dumplings are also popular, as are the seafood dishes of Trieste on the coast and the Germanic strudels.
Regional Wine
Practically every region in Italy produces their own wine and FVG is of no exception. Both red and white wines are produced but due to the climate and more mountainous terrain, white tend to dominate.
Collio wines are probably the most popular and use the native Ribolla grape which has been cultured in Friuli for centuries. Other popular varieties are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, known as Pinot Nero in FVG. For everyday consumption the fragrant, dry Tocai is most popular and for something more robust, try a well-aged tannic red like Refosco dal Peduncolo or Schiopettino, they go well with local meat and game dishes.
Then there’s the little lethal cocktail in a cup, Grappa. Made from the stems, skins and seeds leftover from winemaking, Friulian Grappa, or Italian moonshine as it was once known, is making a comeback. It’s not to everyone’s taste but as they say, ‘When in Rome…’
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