Bean Soups
Beans are popular throughout Friuli. The robust dish jota comes from Trieste. Once thought of as a pauper’s dish, it is now becoming a recognized culinary specialty: regaining its position, in fact, for the people of Trieste like to point out its honorable origins. Its name apparently derives from the late Latin word jutta, meaning a stock or liquid soup. Its history may go back still further to the food enjoyed by the Celts. Jota is a specialty of Venezia Giulia and of Trieste in particular. The rest of Friuli has its own specialties using beans. Minestra di fagioli e orzo is a magnificent dish, although it does take time to prepare. The beans are cooked twice, each time in fresh water. Finally, milk and pasta or rice are added to make a splendid, filling soup.
