Antipasto
Few know that Trieste is one of the capitals of ham. This derives not from an area dedicated to pig farming, but from the skills of the Friulani producers in the preparation of cooked charcuterie. The ham – which today aspires to the European denomination of Cotto di Trieste, even if many still call it Prague – refers to the city's Hapsburg past. Tradition has it that it was the Bohemian maids who imported Central European dishes.
The pride of the city's gastronomy is the ham in bread crust, prepared with the historic recipe that the Friulani people have been handing down for over a century. The fresh pork legs are scented with natural flavors and hot smoked with fir wood shavings.
Primo
Cjarsons is a traditional Italian dish originating from Friuli. The dish consists of stuffed pasta like ravioli. However, the pasta is made from potatoes, similar to gnocchi, while the ingredients in the filling range from wild herbs, ricotta, raisins, potatoes, cocoa, cinnamon, and other spices.
Cjarsons should always have a flavour that's somewhere between sweet and savoury, or both at the same time. Each family has their own recipe that has been handed down over generations, because in the past Cjarsons was a festive dish and the recipe was kept secret by the head of each family.
Once prepared, the Cjarsons are cooked in boiling water, then traditionally topped with melted butter and grated smoked ricotta.
