Friuli-Venezia Giulia Italian Food

Italian food varies greatly throughout Italy and there are many different regional cuisines in Italy that take their cues from surrounding countries and mix in a little local creativity in order to produce their own unique Italian food.  One great example of this is the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

This region shares a border with the former Yugoslavia and shares a lot of the same traditions, including culinary traditions.  The Italian food here is strong with Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Croatian influences.  One of places that this is most apparent is in the beer halls of the area.  Here they feature such dishes as Viennese sausage and goulash.  Goulash, which originated as a Hungarian dish, has taken on a distinct Italian taste here and can often be found in fine Italian food restaurants both in and out of Italy.  Goulash is immensely popular in this region and is a thick stew of beef and local vegetables such as onions and red peppers.  It is very thick and seasoned with paprika and can be served with pasta.  Another dish that makes a frequent appearance at the beer halls in this area is Bohemian hare. 

The most often used meat in this area is pork.  In fact, if visiting this area it is essential to try one of their world famous San Daniele del Friuli hams.  These hams are a staple of the local Italian food.  The whole region is known for their bacon and sausages.  In fact there is a local dish called jota that is unique to the region and is a stew dish made with beans and bacon.  The pork in this area is spicy and this may come as a bit of a shock to foreigners not familiar with this brand of Italian food.  The pork is often cooked over an open hearth and is seen in many dishes even if it is not the main entrée.

There are many other foods specific to the area.  The sweeter side of the Italian food here includes strudel.  Most of the desserts here are flour based and so strudel is very common.  One of the most common dishes found in the area is polenta.  This is a dish of boiled cornmeal and is a staple of the regional diet and can be found served with all types of Italian food including both meat and cheese dishes.  It is most similar to American grits.  Another Italian food staple that must be mentioned in this region is the cheese.  The world famous Montasio cheese comes from this region.  If you like your Italian food with lots of cheese, and not just mozzarella, than this is the region for you.  One last dish that must be mentioned is brovada.  This is a dish that is unique to the region.  It is most simply turnips that are preserved in marc (Italian brandy).  This most certainly is not a dish that most people think of when thinking about Italian food, but it is a dish that is unique to Italy and is therefore an important part of Italian food.  So the next time you're up for some Italian food, branch out and try some different regional cuisines.

Tiramisu - The Italian Food Dessert

Today Tiramisu is the most popular of Italian food desserts.  It graces the menu of nearly every Italian food restaurant.  However, its rise to fame has been meteoric; it wasn't even invented until the 1970's in the Veneto region of Italy.  It didn't even gain widespread popularity until the early 1990's.  It is a unique blend of ingredients that separately seem to not go together at all.  However, when correctly blended together they form one of the treasures of Italian food.

The first ingredient is Mascarpone cheese.  This cheese has very deep roots in Italian food.  It was made as far back as the 13th century in the region of Lombardy.  This cheese is concentrated milk cream and has a very high fat content, getting up to seventy-five percent.  It is a smooth and creamy cheese.  Traditionally it has been considered to be more of a winter dish and therefore shows up in more of the seasonal Italian food dishes.  This is mainly because of its high calories and the fact that when it was first produced there was no refrigeration and this delicate cheese does not keep well in hot temperatures.  Like many other Italian foods, the best Mascarpone cheese comes directly from Italy.  However, it you're an Italian food lover making Tiramisu at home, there are plenty of makers of Mascarpone cheese.

The next ingredient is Zabaglione cream.  This is a true classic Italian food dessert.  It hails from the world renowned kitchens of Venice.  When it originally became a popular Italian food dessert it was made with yolks, honey, and a sweet Cyprus wine.  However, today the cream has taken on a new flavour.  To begin with sugar is substituted for the original honey.  The most stated difference in taste though, comes from the use of Marsala wine instead of the sweet Cyprus wine.  This cream can be made from home and is easier to make than most Italian food chefs let on.

The third ingredient is the most distinctive factor of Tiramisu, espresso.  This shot of caffeine is where the dessert gets its name, which means "pick me up".  This is a coffee that is true to Italian food and is much stronger than American coffee.  Espresso is the most important coffee in Italian food and can be seen following many Italian meals. 

The fourth and final ingredient is Ladyfingers.  These popular cookies originated in Italy and have made numerous appearances in not only Italian food, but in many other national cuisines.  These cookies are remarkably light due to the fact that the dough with which they are made is rich with whipped egg white.  They are immensely popular and one of the most appreciated Italian food desserts in Italy.

These four ingredients blended together just right and topped off with chocolate make an Italian food dessert that is as popular as the individual ingredients.  Make sure when you prepare this at home that you take great care in choosing the ingredients, it will really make a difference in the quality of Tiramisu.  Now that you know the correct quality and the origin of the ingredients you will surely impress your friends with you Italian food knowledge.