Le Ricette Tradizionali di Trieste: i sapori della cultura mitteleuropea by Maria Frausin was among the first Friulian cookbooks in my collection (it was given to me by my friend Liviana on one of my early trips to the region) and therefore played a critical part in the development of my own cookbook. In fact, a full third of the dishes in this book made their way into Flavors of Friuli. While I did refer to many other cookbooks during my recipe development, the dishes in this one were often the first versions that I tested.
The book opens with an introduction to the cooking of Trieste. Unlike the provinces of Udine and Pordenone, which were under Venetian rule for centuries, Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so naturally the cuisine here has a strong Austrian influence. In addition, the city’s seaside location and proximity to Slovenia have contributed much in the way of seafood and Slavic dishes. The introduction contains sections detailing the origins of local dishes such as iota (bean and sauerkraut soup; also spelled “jota”), capuzi garbi (sauerkraut), patate in tecia (skillet potatoes), golas (Hungarian-style beef stew; also spelled “goulash”), brodeto de pesse (fish stew; “pesse” is Triestine dialect for fish), sardoni fritti (fried sardines, or more accurately, European anchovies), and musoli (Triestine dialect for mussels). Also described are the rebechin (a midmorning snack often taken in a buffet) and the wines of the Carso.
Despite having just a mere 80 pages, Le Ricette Tradizionali di Trieste is jam-packed with 85 recipes. The book is well organized into chapters on antipasti, primi piatti, pesce, carne, contorni, and dolci. Each recipe contains a fairly clear ingredient list and concise but thorough instructions. While not every recipe features a photo, there are full-page color photos scattered throughout the book. In addition, the chapters include special text blocks on various local attractions and cultural events, such as the Grotta Gigante, the Casa Carsica, Carsic weddings, osmize, and Carnevale.
I also own the Friulian and Istrian cookbooks from the same publisher and will be reviewing them in future posts.
