Italian food varies greatly
throughout Italy and pairing down Italian food to just the fifteen or so dishes
that can be found at Italian food restaurants in the United States is very
short sighted. There are many different
regional cuisines in Italy that take their cues from surrounding countries and
mix in a little local creativity in order to produce their own unique Italian
food. One great example of this is the
Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.
This region shares a border with
the former Yugoslavia and shares a lot of the same traditions, including
culinary traditions. The Italian food
here is strong with Austrian, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Croatian influences. One of places that this is most apparent is
in the beer halls of the area. Here they
feature such dishes as Viennese sausage and goulash. Goulash, which originated as a Hungarian
dish, has taken on a distinct Italian taste here and can often be found in fine
Italian food restaurants both in and out of Italy. Goulash is immensely popular in this region
and is a thick stew of beef and local vegetables such as onions and red
peppers. It is very thick and seasoned
with paprika and can be served with pasta.
Another dish that makes a frequent appearance at the beer halls in this
area is Bohemian hare.
The most often used meat in this
area is pork. In fact, if visiting this
area it is essential to try one of their world famous San Daniele del Friuli
hams. These hams are a staple of the
local Italian food. The whole region is
known for their bacon and sausages. In
fact there is a local dish called jota that is unique to the region and is a
stew dish made with beans and bacon. The
pork in this area is spicy and this may come as a bit of a shock to foreigners
not familiar with this brand of Italian food.
The pork is often cooked over an open hearth and is seen in many dishes
even if it is not the main entrée.
There are many other foods specific to the area. The sweeter side of the Italian food here includes
strudel. Most of the desserts here are
flour based and so strudel is very common.
One of the most common dishes found in the area is polenta. This is a dish of boiled cornmeal and is a
staple of the regional diet and can be found served with all types of Italian
food including both meat and cheese dishes.
It is most similar to American grits.
Another Italian food staple that must be mentioned in this region is the
cheese. The world famous Montasio cheese
comes from this region. If you like your
Italian food with lots of cheese, and not just mozzarella, than this is the
region for you. One last dish that must
be mentioned is brovada. This is a dish
that is unique to the region. It is most
simply turnips that are preserved in marc.
This most certainly is not a dish that most people think of when
thinking about Italian food, but it is a dish that is unique to Italy and is
therefore an important part of Italian food.
So the next time you're up for some Italian food, branch out and try
some different regional cuisines.
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