Browse Techniques

The most iconic preparation of Friulian cuisine — a large disc of grated aged Montasio cheese fried in its own fat until the outer edges are golden and lacework-crisp while the centre remains molten and stretchy. The simplest version contains only cheese; the festive version adds thin potato slices and onion. Eaten as a snack, antipasto or alongside polenta.

A sweet variant of the plum dumplings traditional in both Friuli and the adjacent Slovenian and Austrian Alpine cultures — potato dough formed around sugar-filled fresh plums (when in season) or candied plums, boiled until the dough is cooked and the fruit softens inside, then rolled in toasted breadcrumbs and served with melted butter, sugar and cinnamon. The dish straddles the line between a first course and a dessert.

Large potato gnocchi each encasing a whole prune (or plum), coated in breadcrumbs, boiled until the fruit is hot and soft inside, then tossed in browned butter with fried breadcrumbs and a dusting of sugar and cinnamon. A sweet-savoury border dish reflecting the Central European influence on Friuli — the same preparation exists in Austrian and Czech cooking as Zwetschkenknödel.

A barley 'risotto' (orzotto) from the Friuli highlands — pearl barley cooked risotto-style with ladles of beef broth, enriched with rendered speck fat, celeriac (sedano rapa) and finished with butter and Montasio cheese. The barley's nutty chew is more assertive than rice, making this a heartier, more Alpine preparation. Orzotto (orzo = barley) is one of Friuli's most characteristic preparations.

Fresh egg tagliatelle tossed with sliced Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP and mountain butter from the Carnia valleys — a preparation of extreme simplicity where the quality of the prosciutto is the entire dish. The prosciutto is added raw to the hot buttered pasta so that the heat barely warms it, preserving its delicate sweetness and the texture of its fat. A pinch of fresh thyme or marjoram is the only additional seasoning.