Produced in the hilly area around the town of San Daniele in the province of Udine, Prosciutto di San Daniele is even sweeter and darker in color with a more delicate flavor than in other varieties. In the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, where the winds from the Carnic Alps meet the breezes coming in from the Adriatic, Prosciutto di San Daniele is made using only local sea salt.

The curing process here differs a little from other regions since San Daniele hams are stacked on top of each other and left to mature for at least 13 months. Up until recently, only large pig breeds such as Landrace, Large White and Duroc were used for ham production, however due to an increase in demand, San Daniele hams can now be made with other local breeds. 

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. 

Pappardelle al ragù bianco di anatra is a traditional pasta dish that's especially popular in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia area. The dish is usually made with a combination of pappardelle pasta, duck breasts, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, white wine, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The vegetables, thyme, and garlic are sautéed in olive oil, and then mixed with the duck meat that's cut into cubes. The combination is seasoned with salt and pepper, covered with white wine, and simmered until the alcohol evaporates. A bit of stock or tomato paste are added to the white ragù, while the pasta is cooked in boiling salted water until al dente. 

Pitina is a traditional meat product originating from the province of Pordenone. It's made from a paste that contains lean meat (sheep, goat, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer or chamois) and fat (pork belly or shoulder). The meat and fat are seasoned with sea salt or rock salt, garlic, red wine, black pepper, and aromatic herbs.

The mixture is shaped into a ball, rolled in maize flour for preservation purposes, and it's then smoked over the embers of juniper wood and left to age. When cut, the pitina is lean with a fine grain. The aroma is smoky, while the flavor is rich and full-bodied. 

This variety of prosciutto comes from the small northern Italian village of Sauris di Sotto, settled in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. All Sauris hams must come from the Large White, Landrace and Duroc pig breeds. Unlike other Italian hams, prosciutto di Sauris is cured by both salt and smoke, which is a common practice in sub-Alpine Italy due to the influence of Germanic traditions.

The hams are smoked for about five days over a combination of woods including birchwood, silver fir, chestnut, beech, and maple, and also herbs like rosemary, sage, thyme, and juniper. This gives their rind a kind of a golden to orange color. After the smoking, prosciutto di Sauris is salted and left to mature. 

Cjarsons is a traditional 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. 

Frico is a traditional dish from the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 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. 

Prosciutto cotto triestino or Cotto Trieste is a traditional cooked ham originating from Trieste in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. This ham is made from pork legs and its main characteristic is that it's left on the bone, which is considered a rarity.

The ham is salted (water, salt, sugar, and flavorings are injected into the femoral artery), massaged by machines so that the brine distributes throughout the meat, smoked over wood and aromatic herbs, and cooked slowly in steam ovens, usually for 12 hours. 

Polenta is an ancient dish of Northern Italian origin, most commonly made from coarse corn flour cooked in water. Although polenta today is characterized by its intense yellow color, before the arrival of corn in Europe in the 16th century, it was made with spelt, rye, and buckwheat, which gave it a much darker color.

In Roman times, polenta was called pulmentum, and it was a staple of both peasants and Roman soldiers, who were given portions of grain as field rations. In Italy today, polenta is still made using a copper pot called a paiolo and a long wooden spoon known as a tarello.