Frico Friulano — Crispy Cheese and Potato Cake

Friuli — frico is documented in Bartolomeo Scappi's 16th-century Opera, where a cheese preparation of the Friulano type is described. The preparation has continued uninterrupted and is now considered the emblem of Friulano cuisine. Montasio DOP is the protected ingredient.

Frico is the defining preparation of the Friulano kitchen — a flat cake made from Montasio cheese (and usually potato) melted and crisped in a pan until both sides are golden and the cheese is caramelised at the edges. There are two versions: frico morbido (soft frico, with potato and sometimes onion, served warm and yielding) and frico croccante (crispy frico, made with aged Montasio only, melted to a thin crisp). Both begin with Montasio DOP — the semi-aged and aged cheese of the Friulano foothills and plains whose flavour ranges from milky and delicate (young) to sharp and granular (aged). The preparation dates to the 15th century in Friulano sources and is the most ancient surviving Friulano recipe.

Frico morbido cut at the table releases steam — the interior is yielding, potato-sweet, and deeply cheesy; the exterior is crisp and golden, with caramelised Montasio at the edges. Frico croccante is a different experience: a translucent, amber-golden wafer that snaps clean and delivers an intense, concentrated Montasio flavour in a single bite. Both versions declare their Friulano origin in every mouthful.