The taste of tradition Sapori di <strong>Carnia</strong>: a festival of the flavours of a land where nature reigns at the dining table too. Simple, genuine ingredients give life to ancient dishes or to creatively revised recipes. From the wild herbs, which season omelettes and gnocchi, to the cjarsòns, frico and... M outh-watering and strictly seasonal, Carnic cuisine uses genuine, natural ingredients, which the mountain climate imbues with a special, richer flavour. This typical cuisine faithfully mirrors its people, and was developed over the centuries and naturally conserved in valleys, rivers and woods which were more or less hidden by a backdrop of mountains. However it is also a renewed cuisine which adds an original touch to traditional dishes, embracing the evolution of taste. For lovers of genuine food, <strong>Carnia</strong> is a trove to discover. In Sauris/Zahre, give in to the temptation of its exquisite prosciutto crudo: this cured ham has been produced from time immemorial, using original techniques and is lightly smoked to give it an unmistakably sweet flavour. In July, there is a two-weekend festival in its honour: a must for gourmets. The famed hams are ideally served with the beers brewed in the Sauris di Sopra beer factory. The delicious Carnic herb-based cuisine is also of very ancient tradition. In spring, amid the mountains of Forni di Sopra, there is a joyous flourishing of wild herbs and flowers, such as silene, mountain asparagus and chicory; these are the basic ingredients for a number of fanciful dishes that can be tasted along itineraries calling in at famed restaurants. And to delight all gourmets, every year during the <strong>Carnia</strong> in Tavola food festival, a number of famous restaurants propose their own menu, each based on a different dish. It is hard to resist the temptations of the palate: you can try the most traditional local dishes, such as cjarsòns (ravioli with a sweet filling), frico con polenta (a fragrant dish of malga cheese fried with potato and served with polenta), pork shops with savoy cabbage, muset e brovade (cotechino served with sour turnip marinated in marc), gnocchi alla carnica or apple gnocchi... 4 5