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…
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…
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: 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.…
Trieste: Presnitz
My friends at Pasticceria Penso had invited me to watch them bake presnitz the next morning, so I headed over there around 8:30am. This was one of the days I…
Budapest, Hungary: Day One
Arriving in Budapest the previous afternoon turned out to be somewhat more of a culture shock than Vienna had been. After many years of traveling throughout Italy, I had begun…
Forni Avoltri: Festa dei Frutti di Bosco
It was the day of the Festa dei Frutti di Bosco in Forni Avoltri, and gauging by the number of tables set up, it looked to be the largest of…
Cividale del Friuli: Dulcis in Fundo
When traveling, there is almost no feeling worse than that of waking up sick. This was my fate one chilly winter morning in Udine. Always being prepared for the worst,…
Fave dei Morti
My recipe for Fave dei Morti (Almond Cookies), as excerpted from Flavors of Friuli: A Culinary Journey through Northeastern Italy, is featured today at chicgalleria.com. Translated literally as “beans of…