by Victor Caneva
All photographs courtesy of Victor Caneva
Christmas is around the corner and, if you’re like me, you might still have some shopping to do. One of my passions is discovering, enjoying, and sharing the unique tastes of the region I now call home.
I especially treasure sampling food and drink that preserves traditional production methods. Alternatively, I also love experiencing how local artisans use creativity and innovation to incorporate local ingredients in novel and tasty ways. This short list represents my favorite spots in Trieste to pick up yummy gifts that celebrate Trieste, FVG, and beyond.
My family lived in Carnia, a mountainous area in northern Friuli Venezia Giulia, for centuries before emigrating to the United States. Being able to experience some of the same flavors that were common to my ancestors helps me reconnect with this region I want to learn so much more about. Thankfully SET, a bottega and bistro located on via di Cavana 13A allows me to do just that in central Trieste.
Owners Ervin Rama and Jessica Urban are truly passionate about the gastronomic tradition of FVG. Everything they sell and serve is crafted in FVG and is sourced from artisanal producers around the region. Committed to sustainability and offering products of the highest quality, SET is proud to be an accredited Io sono FVG vendor.
Last month, Il Piccolo highlighted 16 regional specialties in danger of extinction. SET offers a number of these products giving residents a chance to experience these delicacies and to help support the producers devoted to keeping these traditions alive.
SET offers exquisite cheeses from the malghe (alpine huts) of Carnia, salumi from Carnia and the Carso crafted with traditional methods, fine wines from the Collio of Friuli, artisanal polenta and farro, and even a reddish bread from the Carso made with local Terrano wine. If you want to stay a little longer, they also serve Illy Cafe and offer dishes made with the wonderful ingredients they sell.
To facilitate your holiday shopping, SET offers a wide variety of attractive gift baskets, packed with an assortment of their favorite products. If you know someone that appreciates regional flavors, they won’t be disappointed with a gift from SET.
Local artisanal spirits producer Piolo & Max strikes a perfect blend of tradition and innovation. This liquorificio located on via Felice Venezian 11A puts a Triestine spin on every liquor they craft.
I asked the delightful and supremely knowledgeable Elena Debetto what she would recommend to someone who wants to try a spirit that reflects the traditions of Trieste. She pointed me to their Terrano liquor which is made from Terrano wine from the Carso, sugar, lemon and orange juices, and various spices and which pairs wonderfully with Triestine desserts like presnitz and putizza. For me, the spiced quality of the libation just screams “Christmas.”
Another traditional drink with a local spin is Piolinkomax, Piolo & Max’s version of pelinkovac, a bitter liquor ubiquitous in the Balkans but also popular in Trieste with its strong Slavic influence. Pelinkovac is an absinthe-based spirit and the not overly-bitter Piolinkomax features four different kinds of absinthe, one of which is particularly unique. The assenzio di laguna, which only grows in areas near brackish waters such as the lagoons near Grado northwest of Trieste, gives the Piolinkomax a distinctive and FVG – influenced quality.
Piolo & Max also uses local ingredients to make more avant-garde creations, such as the “Fleur de Sel” chocolate liquor which fascinatingly combines chocolate and the heralded fleur de sel salt sourced from the historic salt pans of Piran, Slovenia to the south of Trieste. Rosemary is added to evoke the smells and tastes of the Istrian and Triestine coasts and the result is a truly unique sip of our region that pleasingly lingers on the palette.
Almost forty varieties of liqueurs are available from amari to spirits infused with local ingredients to specially crafted gins. An assortment of gift baskets are available for order and Piolo & Max even offers artisanal chocolates from a chocolatier in Aquilea filled with a selection of their liqueurs.
- Enoteca Hortis
Wine is a common holiday gift around the world and our region is no different. In a nation known for wine, Friuli Venezia Giulia holds its own, boasting some renowned varieties and wineries. Buying wine, however, can be confusing and sometimes even intimidating. Cost doesn’t always translate into quality and those of us who are less knowledgeable about wines, but still appreciate them, can walk out of a store feeling like dummies.
These frustrations don’t apply at Enoteca Hortis (Piazza Attilio Hortis, 2/A), where Marco Ballarin brings his vast knowledge of wine to your (or at least down to my) level. He also happens to speak wonderful English and is proficient in French.
Marco is passionate about helping people find the best wines for them and their loved ones. Because of this, Enoteca Hortis doesn’t offer gift boxes for Christmas. Instead they offer elegant wooden boxes that can be filled with wines after Marco helps you find the perfect selections (usually at a surprisingly affordable price). Glasses, artisanal beers, wonderful honeys and other goodies can be added to your custom-made gift box.
If you are looking for gifts for friends or family who enjoy the tastes of the region or are interested in sampling more of what Friuli Venezia Giulia has to offer, stopping at one of these special spots is surely a step in the right direction. I wish you a happy, and tasty, holiday.
