Le Ricette della Cucina Friulana dalla A alla Z by Marta Omero is an alphabetized compilation of recipes from Friuli, featuring, as the subtitle states, the best of Carnian cooking. The title page sums it up well: “From the cjalzòns of Carnia to the boreto of Grado, from putizza to gubana… A whole world on the table!”
The introduction begins with this apt description of the region’s cuisine: “Ecclectic and varied like the people who have crossed it, a crossroads of Venetian, Slavic, Oriental, and Germanic influences, a brilliant alchemy between the poor products of the land and memories of distant cultures known during the course of emigration.” While the author continues on to say that there are some who claim that a true typical cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia does not exist, she eloquently refutes that assertion by praising the region’s intelligent use of resources from land and sea and its ability to transform them into dishes with a unique flavor, citing, as examples, brovada, musetto, pinza, putizza, gubana, cjalzòns, and frico.
Among the book’s 94 recipes, we find many of the usual suspects, including two types of frittata, three variations on frico, four kinds of gnocchi, five types of polenta, and six rice dishes. The ingredient lists are generally precise and the instructions concise but clear. Some recipes are prefaced by a brief introductory paragraph that explains the dish’s history, geographical origins, and/or cultural significance, often quoting from centuries-old cookbooks by such authors as Martino Da Como and the Asquini Counts, as well as from more contemporary Friulian cookbooks. All Carnian recipes are marked with an asterisk.
While the recipes appear alphabetically, there is an additional index that organizes them into the following categories: primi piatti, carni, pesci e altro, formaggio, uova, verdure, polenta, and dolci. This might come in handy if one doesn’t have a particular dish in mind but instead prefers to skim over, say, the dessert recipes, looking for inspiration. Sadly, the book contains no photos, though there are a number of line drawings scattered throughout, depicting cooking implements, produce, animals, and people dressed in period attire.
