The southern portion of Friuli lies along the Adriatic Sea, the coastline spanning three of the region’s four provinces. Naturally, seafood takes center stage here, with many dishes featuring local catches such as sardoni barcolani, scampi, granzievola, canoce, and calamari.
Along the western shores that border the Veneto region, the Venetian influence is especially noticeable in typical dishes such as baccalà and sarde in saor. In contrast, Austrian and Slavic dishes are most pervasive around the capital city of Trieste. Here, in addition to seafood, you will find such hearty Mitteleuropean fare as goulasch, liptauer cheese, bread dumplings, and sauerkraut.
As in the rest of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, pork, potatoes, and polenta are dietary staples, but in Trieste these humble foods are often enhanced with the use of what were once considered foreign ingredients. For centuries, international trade brought exotic spices to the region, and the merchants of the port city naturally had first pick. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, caraway seeds, poppy seeds, and paprika came to be used extensively in local dishes.
Having been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for over 500 years, Trieste is well known for its range of elegant Viennese-style cakes and pastries, including sachertorte and dobostorte. These may be found in the city’s many pasticcerie as well as its legendary cafés. Also served in every café is Trieste’s native Illy espresso. Claimed by many to be the world’s best coffee, Illycaffè got its start here in the early 1900s.
