Puff Pastry Desserts of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Believed to have been invented in 17th-century France, puff pastry is the base for preparing several traditional desserts in FVG. It is made from layers of dough and butter that…
Austro-Hungarian Desserts in Friuli-Venezia Giulia
During the late 14th century, two competing powers were emerging in Europe: the Venetian Republic and the Austrian Empire. As the Venetians set forth on an extensive conquering spree, Trieste…
Winter Squash Dishes of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Last month, I reviewed the cookbook La Zucca Si Sposa... by Germano Pontoni. In it are more than fifty recipes that "marry" winter squash to a number of different ingredients.…
Cookbook Corner: Dulcis in Fundo
It was a chilly February morning in 2004, my first trip to Friuli after having decided to write a book on the region's cuisine. I was exploring the town of…
Cookies of Friuli-Venezia Giulia
With the exception of Trieste’s Viennese-style cakes and pastries and the Slovene-inspired spiral cake gubana, one does not typically associate the cuisine of Friuli-Venezia Giulia with desserts. Rather, it’s the…
Gubana, Putizza, Presnitz: Deciphering Friuli’s Spiral Pastries
While doing research for Flavors of Friuli, one of my most nagging questions was this: is there any difference between gubana and the similar-looking spiral pastries from Trieste, putizza and…
Trieste: Putizza
With no more day trips planned, I allowed myself the luxury of sleeping in until 8:00am. While brushing my teeth that morning, I was startled by a loud ringing—presumably the…
Venzone: Festa della Zucca
On the day of Venzone’s Festa della Zucca, I made my way to the train station in Trieste with some degree of trepidation. The last time I had visited Venzone,…
Trieste: Torta Dobos
I had planned on leaving for Pasticceria Penso extra early the next morning, but a restless night of sleep made rousing myself at 6:30am hopelessly unappealing. So by the time…
Trieste: Barcola
As usual, I began this day with a visit to Pasticceria Penso. When I arrived, the patriarch of the family, Italo Stoppar, was busy preparing a number of cream-filled treats.…