Specialties from Friuli may be more discreet than those of other Italian regions, but they're no less delightful. On a global level, Friuli-Venezia Giulia might get overshadowed by locales on the usual tourist circuit, such as Umbria, the Veneto, Lazio, and Campania, the northeastern Italian region is a force to be reckoned with – to know it is to love it. 

Friuli wasn't always a part of Italy, having been part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it wasn't completely part of Italy until 1918. Consequently, there's some overlap between its cuisine and that of its northern neighbor. The dishes, such as cjarsòns, are not usually the first to spring to mind when one thinks of Italian food, yet they never fail to dazzle.