I Love Italian Regional Cooking - Pairing Friuli-Venezia Giuli Cuisine With Red Wine
Great Friuli food, fine Friuli or other red wine...Friuli-Venezia Giuli is a mountainous area tucked away in the northeast corner Italy, bordering on Austria and Slovenia. Unlike most regions of Italy, it remains multicultural, an exceptional mixture of Italian, Austrian, and Slavic influences that affect most aspects of life, especially food. In a sense World War II ended when the region’s capital the port of Trieste was ceded to Italy in 1954.
Friuli-Venezia Giuli, a great place to vacation, eat, and drink.
You might want to start with a traditional Trieste dish, Sanguinaccio alla Boema (Bohemian blood pudding) which is first boiled and then fried. Here Bohemian refers to part of the Czech Republic, and not beatniks. The suggestion wine pairing is a Dolchetto from Piedmont.
Another fine first dish is Lumache alla Friuliana (Snails Friuli style) prepared with garlic, parsley, and red wine. Suggested wine pairings include Brunello di Montalcino DOCG from Tuscany and Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC from Piedmont. Do you want to use such a fine wine as a Brunello for cooking? That’s up to you, but don’t ever cook with a wine that you wouldn’t drink.
Muset e Bruada (Sausage and Turnips) is made with boiled pork rind sausage and pickled turnips. Sauté them with onion, garlic, and salt pork. Enjoy this dish with a Valpolicella DOC from the neighboring region of Veneto.
If you like hare, you'll love Lepre in Salsa.
Sausage eaters will love Cevapcici, a Balkan specialty made with minced lamb and beef and subtly spiced. These skinless kebabs are usually grilled. Try them with a Primitivo di Manduria DOC from Apulia.
Gulash Triestino (Goulash Trieste style) includes lean beef, pork fat, onion, tomato sauce, and a variety of herbs and spices. Let’s not forget the paprika. Recommended wines include Barbera DOC from Piedmont and Italian Cabernet Sauvignon.
I left the best for last; Lepre in Salsa (Hare in Sauce). There are many ingredients including red and white wine, and you have to marinate the hare for twelve hours. Enjoy this masterpiece (if done right) with a Chianti Classico DOCG or a Vino Nobile di Montelpulchiano DOCG, both from Tuscany. Make sure that you select a fine wine to accompany this meal.
About the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would rather just drink fine Italian, French, or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and spend time with his wife and family. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website at www.theworldwidewine.com with his weekly column reviewing $10 wines and his new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines. Check out his Italian wine website at www.theitalianwineconnection.com.
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