by Victor Caneva
All photo credits Victor Caneva
It all started when we saw our neighbor carrying a mushroom the size of a beach umbrella into her home. My dad’s curiosity insatiably piqued, he simply had to introduce himself and inquire about her haul. The neighbor turned out to be an expert local forager returning from the surrounding forest with a bounty of impressive porcini.
We had been spending a week in a homey apartment in Collina di Forni Avoltri, our favorite getaway in the Carnic Alps, and I was overjoyed when our neighbor brought over a bowl of some of those very porcini, now cooked to perfection, the following afternoon. Keeping with the gracious hospitality we always seem to experience in Carnia, she also brought over some additional foraging finds I had never tried before: wild strawberries and radic di mont.
Cicerbita Alpina or the “alpine sow-thistle” is a succulent wild radicchio referred to as radic di mont or radic dal glaz in Carnia. Preferring altitudes exceeding one thousand meters (3,300 feet), the herbaceous plant can be found throughout the Alps and other European mountain ranges. In Carnia, foragers wait for a short springtime harvest window, usually in May, to gather this delicacy and are limited to collecting one kilogram a day.
Radic di Mont is prepared and preserved in various ways, but in the mountains of Friuli Venezia Giulia, it is traditionally preserved in oil. The mountain treat is usually enjoyed as an antipasto and pairs exceptionally well with indiginous cured meats
Wild strawberries, or fragaria vesca, are found all over the northern hemisphere, but I was first introduced to them in this area of Carnia renowned for wild berries. Each summer, the nearby town of Forni Avoltri hosts the Festa dei Frutti di Bosco, with visitors from around the region coming to enjoy the fruits of the lush forests that fill this region.
Much smaller than cultivated strawberries, wild strawberries make up for their diminutive size with an intense, sweet taste that I prefer to that of their more bulky cousins. Aside from their scrumptious flavor, these treasures also boast a host of health benefits, providing a good source of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Carnian eateries often incorporate wild strawberries, along with other local berries, in an array of mouth-watering desserts.
Now armed with a veritable arsenal of local ingredients (our hostess had also provided us with fresh greens from her garden and two homegrown zucchini the size of my children), we prepared a celebratory feast in our rental’s kitchen. There is something sublimely satisfying about savoring a meal born from the land surrounding you. As we partook of the fruit of the forest, we gazed on the same green slopes where our meal originated, and treasured the hospitality of new friends.
