Flavors of Friuli

Elisabeth Antoine Crawford presents an enticing journey through an Italian region that’s not well known by American travelers.

I’ve longed to travel through the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. But the closest I’ve come is wandering through the seductive Flavors of Friuli: A Culinary Journey through Northeastern Italy by Elisabeth Antoine Crawford.

For that day when I do travel to the region, I hope Crawford will have created an app. Otherwise, I’ll be forced to lug her three-pound, 368-page tome with me. It’s an exhaustively researched guide to the mountains, meadows, vineyards, and coasts, all with their own distinctive foods, wines, architecture, museums, attractions, and festivals.

Most Italian regions don’t border anything other than other Italian regions or the sea but not Friuli Venezia-Giulia. It juts north and east of the peninsula. It’s bordered by the Veneto to the west, Austria to the north, The Republic of Slovenia to the east, and the Adriatic Sea to the south. Romans, Venetians, Austro-Hungarians, and Slavs have all ruled this territory over the centuries. Parts of the region weren’t incorporated into the Republic of Italy until after World War I and the cosmopolitan city of Trieste not until 1954.

Middle European influences abound in dishes such as sauerkraut, buckwheat pasta, liptauer, goulasch, and torta Dobos. Yet, the region also produces foods that are recognized around the world as quintessentially Italian: prosciutto di San Daniele, Montasio cheese, and Illy caffè.

Author Elisabeth Antoine Crawford spent five years traveling, researching, recipe-testing, and capturing travel and food images in Friuli.

Crawford, a former dancer and Pilates instructor, admits that many were puzzled when she chose Friuli as a research subject. “Friends who appreciate my passion for Italy have found it strange that I have been drawn to one of the country’s most un-Italian regions,” Crawford writes in her introduction.

“My answer is that possibly this is what intrigues me the most—the fact that it is so distinctive. For the same reason, I am drawn to fusion cuisine at home in San Francisco. Dishes that run the gamut from mildly unusual to outlandishly bizarre are simply more interesting to me.”

The complex flavors of Cjalsòns di Treppo Carnico are the legacy of Carnian spice peddlers.

Perhaps no dish typifies this exoticism better than the stuffed pasta called cjalsòns. “In every lush valley of the Carnia mountains, each cook prepares his or her own unique recipe, merging herbs and spices and creating a distinct shape and form for the dough,” Crawford writes.

“While there are generally two varieties—sweet and savory—the flavors often tend to overlap. The sweet cjalsòns may be filled with apples, pears, crushed biscotti, dried fruit, nuts, chocolate, and spices, but often contain savory herbs such as parsley, basil, and marjoram. Likewise, the savory cjalsòns have undertones of sweetness, combining such unlikely ingredients as potatoes, raisins, onions, cocoa, spinach, jam, and cheese. Both sweet and savory cjalsòns are served in melted butter and are typically topped with ricotta affumicata [smoked ricotta cheese] and a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon.”

Nutmeg, cloves, saffron, cumin, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, and other seasonings are the legacy of the cramârs, Carnian peddlers who traveled throughout central Europe and brought home their wares to be integrated into the local style of cooking.

It was difficult to imagine how cjalsòns would taste so I made the recipe for Cjalsòns di Treppo Carnico that follows. Each bite of these airy pillows was a harmony of complex sweet and savory notes.

Cevapcici con Ajvar is quick and simple enough to prepare for a casual meal.

Next up, I prepared Cevapcici, fresh mixed meat sausages seasoned with garlic, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne. The accompanying Ajvar sauce will become a staple condiment in my repertoire. Prepared simply from roasted red bell pepper and eggplant that are pureed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, and cayenne pepper, it is a a magical condiment.

As I said, my exploration of Friuli is just beginning. With Crawford as my guide, I know fascinating destinations and intriguing flavors lie ahead.