Do you know FRICO?

The frico is a typical dish of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, made from melted Montasio cheese combined with potatoes and onions, all mixed together and cooked together in a pan. Then, once flavored and slowly cooked all the ingredients, the frico is transferred to a non-stick pan and turned on both sides until it reaches a nice external browning.

Although today the frico is made especially the days of celebration, traditionally the dish was made to consume the cheese scraps defined as “strissulis” that remained in excess after shaping the forms.

There are testimonies of the frico already in the middle of the fifteenth century. Legend says that when Sant’Ermacora, patron of Udine, went to preach the Gospel at Aquileia, he also ascended to Zuglio and Imponzo, then to “Ampezzo” and the Savorgnani Forni. The poor viandate asked to be hosted by a local family and was welcomed with a slice of polenta and a piece of cheese. It is said that when he handed it to him he said: “At least I could get another bit of cheese from the boiler …”. At that point the holy traveler told him: “Try to put the whey on the fire again! And let it warm up: in the meantime we will pray to the Lord to grant us! “. The story goes that, just as they were praying, the whey began to boil and the shepherd said to Sant’Ermacora: “With the milk so hot we will have a hard cheese like a stone!” And the saint replied: “And you put a little bit of cold water!”. “And instead of rennet?” “Put the vinegar!”. The saint went to bless the boiler and, later, he began to see a whitish mush rise up, a kind of ricotta. Then the shepherd put the piece of cheese in a pan with ricotta and came out with an exceptional “frico” that accompanied with that little grilled polenta.