Northern Italian Cuisines

Friuli Venezia Giulia is located in the far northeast, and in many ways is distinct from the rest of Italy. For many years the region was a province of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and as a result the local cuisine reveals a great many Mitteleuropean influences, for example the use of sauerkraut, the preparation of savory and sweet strudels (and a local boiled variation called strucolo), potatoes and turnips, and a custom of lightly smoking cold cuts, especially prosciutto, that one doesn't easily encounter in other parts of Italy. Another significant characteristic of the cooking of the region is a relative lack of tomatoes; though you may encounter them, they are certainly not as important as they are further south.

So what else will you find? Quite a bit of barely; Friuli Venezia Giulia is kown for orzotti, which are similar to a risotto but made with barely, and offer a delightful change of pace. An abundance of game, especially in the inland regions. Good Beef, too. And superb wines; Friuli Venezia Giulia produces many of the best Italian white wines, is no slaouch with reds, and also boasts Picolit, an extraordinary sweet wine developed in the 1700s, when a war kept Tokay from reaching Europe's courts.

And to finish up? In addition to strudel, Friulia Venezia Giulia boasts many other cakes, including Gubana, a spicy sweetbread with a healthy shot of grappa. For that matter, a grappa -- Friuli makes some of the best.

Recipes from Friuli Venezia Giulia on Site