Fuži – What are they?

Istria holds many gastronomy events starring olive oil, wines, prosciutto etc. A few years back, after I've heard that Žminj (there are some interesting vacation Villas near Žminj) organizes its first Pasta Festival, I said to myself – this makes no sense. How on Earth is it possible to have enough material to have a pasta FESTIVAL? But a friend of mine was one of the exhibitors, so I went as a supporter of her entrepreneurial (I admit, I Google translated and then spell checked this word ) efforts. She makes original jewelry in shape of traditional Istrian pasta – fuži. I went to the festival and really had fun. I learned a thing or two and realized that Istrians are deeply intertwined with this little culinary segment. As a matter of fact, this area was historically short on natural resources, so the people had to be imaginative in order to produce diversity in their diet. Pasta was one of the primary foodstuff. Today there are many other festivities that celebrate Istrian pastry. If you’re staying in one of the Villas near Kanfanar (Villa Marisa, Villa Patricia), maybe the event taking place in the end of July is worth visiting. This one is dedicated especially to fuži. It offers several workshops, tasting different meals made with fuži and also a quest for a golden fuž (that’s singular of fuži). If you can’t attend this event, don’t worry, you can try out my simple and tastyfužirecipe. 

 

Fuži sa (junećim) šugom – Fuži with beef stew

 

Raw fuži are made from scratch. You have to make dough, roll it out, pour some flour on it and cut it into small pieces around 5 centimeters large. Reel these pieces around a small wooden stick while pressing them tightly. Let them dry on a floured cloth. After that, feel free to use them as any other pastry. Istrian cook books offer a wide variety of sauces to be used with fuži. Personally, my favorite is beef sauce.  I make it by stewing beef blade with some onions, carrots, celery leaf and tomatoes. I add some salt and warm water from time to time. After approximately one and a half or two hours (depending on softness of meat) I add some red wine. Don’t be cheap on wine, use the quality one, maybe an Istrian sort just to stay true to the authenticity of the course. Drink the rest of the wine with the delicious fuži dish. You won’t feel disappointed!