Cjarsons is a traditional Italian dish originating from Friuli. The dish consists of stuffed pasta that's similar to 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.
Cjarson should always have a flavor that's somewhere between sweet and savory, 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.
MOST ICONIC Cjarsons
Frico is a traditional dish from the historical Italian region of Carnia, made with a local delicacy known as Montasio cheese. There are two versions: the frico friabile, a crunchy snack made with cheese fried in olive oil until crunchy, and the more famous frico morbido, the soft one, combining the cheese with potatoes and onions in a succulent, rich pancake, baked or fried until it turns golden and crispy on both sides.
Full of flavor, frico is a delicious example of cucina povera. It was invented in the 15th century as a clever way to use strissulis, the leftovers from cheese production. Like with many other popular traditional recipes, many varieties exist, so it can be additionally enriched with pancetta, mushrooms, or tomatoes.
MOST ICONIC Frico
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Even though tiramisù is actually a fairly recent invention, this dessert of coffee-soaked ladyfingers layered with mascarpone cream enjoys an iconic status among Italian desserts. Its name stems from the phrase tirami sù, an Italian expression which literally means pick me up, a reference to the uplifting effects of sugar, liquor, and coffee.
The origins of tiramisù are heavily disputed between Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions, but it is often suggested that the first was made in Veneto in the early 1960s. The earliest documented recipe for tiramisù (interestingly, without alcohol!) was printed in the 1981 spring edition of Vin Veneto magazine in an article on coffee-based desserts by Giuseppe Maffioli, a renowned food critic and member of the Italian Academy of Cuisine.
