Vecchia e Nuova Cucina di Carnia by Gianni Cosetti is perhaps one of the most influential cookbooks in all of Friuli. Nicknamed the orsetto, or “bear,” of Carnia, Cosetti gained his reputation as chef at Albergo Roma in Tolmezzo. When he published his book in 1995, his mission was to document the traditional cuisine of the region, ensuring that ancient recipes handed down through generations would not be forgotten.
After brief forewords by Enrico Bertossi (president of the Camera di Commercio di Udine), journalist Gianni Mura (along with his wife, Paola), and Luigi Veronelli (gourmand and wine critic), the 218-page book dives straight into chapters on antipasti, primi, secondi, verdure, salse, and dolci. Not every recipe features a photograph, but there are full-color photos scattered throughout the book. Each recipe is given one of three labels: “tipica originale” (traditional recipe), “tipica rinnovata” (traditional recipe, modernized by Cosetti), or “ricetta del roma” (original recipe from Albergo Roma).
In addition to chronicling recipes, Cosetti strove to promote a greater awareness of Carnian culture through various classes and cooking contests. One such competition in 1973 featured the stuffed pasta cjalsòns (alternate spellings of which include cjarsòns, cjarzòns, and cialcions). The event yielded an astonishing 40 versions of the dish, each recipe unique, passed down from the cook’s grandmother or great-grandmother.
Vecchia e Nuova Cucina di Carnia features six distinct recipes for cjalsòns. Of the six, only the cjalsòns rustìcs is entirely savory, with a filling of potato and sausage. Cosetti’s cjalsòns krofin di Timau are nearly identical to the ones I had at Ristorante Alle Vecchie Carceri in San Daniele del Friuli—perhaps not surprising since their chef was from Treppo Carnico, a village not far from Timau. Similarly, the ingredients in his cjalsòns Val dal But are almost the same as the ones from Ristorante Salon in Piano d’Arta, a village in the Bût River valley. However, in this case, his recipe was prepared with a potato dough, while Salon used a standard pasta dough. In addition to my versions of the last two recipes, I also included in my cookbook a rendition of Cosetti’s cjarsòns di Piedim, with its dessert-like filling of chocolate and nuts. This one was also originally prepared with a potato dough, but I took the liberty of adapting it to a pasta dough, which I personally prefer. And finally are his recipes for cjalsòns di Rivalpo and cjalzòns di Paularo, which did not make the cut into my book, but their long lists of mainly sweet ingredients promise to be equally delectable.
Among the book’s 153 recipes are a surprising 13 different variations of gnocchi or gnocchetti, including dumplings made with butternut squash and with ricotta and herbs, and 17 soups, from the Hungarian-inspired zuppa di goulasch to the slightly more exotic frog soup. Recipes that were particularly helpful to my process of recipe development include toç in braide (polenta with ricotta sauce and toasted cornmeal), pere con formaggio di malga (salad with pears and cheese), blècs (buckwheat pasta), frittata di funghi (mushroom frittata), and pendalons (potatoes and string beans).
Vecchia e Nuova Cucina di Carnia has been reprinted several times over the years, and my edition is from 2002. Cosetti died in 2001, one year prior to that reprinting, but the legacy of the “Bear of Carnia” carries on in kitchens throughout the region.
