Istrian fuži

Istria’s eventful history has also left its mark on its gastronomy. Different traditions have merged in the popular cuisine, created by nature (aromatic spices, wild herbs, vegetables, seafood...), which has been influenced first by Roman dishes, then by the Frankish and Germanic feudal power, by the cuisine of the Slavic population of the natural hinterland from the 7th century, and finally by the richness of Venetian cuisine. The result is astonishing: a tasty, yet light cuisine, spectacular in its presentation and very varied.

However, all the food that came to this area received a distinctive stamp. The distinctive characteristics of Istrian cuisine would be: the prevalence of boiled over roasted food, many spices, many wild herbs, quite a lot of fish, vinegar strictly made from wine, and olive oil, while wine is an important ingredient in the cuisine...

And here are the fuži, which have a very ancient origin and would certainly have been appreciated by St Jerome.

Ingredients (serves 4):

500g flour
1 teaspoon salt (7 g)
2 eggs
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoons white wine
150ml lukewarm water

For the seasoning

1 white or black truffle
1 garlic clove
100g butter
150g cream
1 piece of parmesan cheese
Black pepper
Salt

Preparation

Prepare the dough first: sift the flour into a large bowl. Add the eggs, oil, wine, and salt, and beat the dough with a little water until smooth. Let it rest for about half an hour.

Roll out the dough not too thinly, then cut it into squares with 4cm sides.

Shape the fuži by folding the opposite corners of the squares and overlapping them (use a chopstick or the handle of a wooden spoon to make them all the same size). Place them on a floured board and leave them to dry overnight.

Prepare the sauce: cut the garlic clove in half and rub it on the bottom of a large saucepan, add the butter and heat over a medium heat until it melts.

Finely grate half the truffle and add it to the melted butter, heat gently for a minute.

Slowly incorporate the cream and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with black pepper and salt, cover and leave the truffle to infuse for at least 2 hours.

Just before the meal, cook the pasta in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until it is al dente. Heat the truffle sauce gently and season to taste.

Just before serving, grate the Parmesan cheese and the rest of the truffle over the dish.

(Liana Marabini)