Trieste has something of a refined quality that can often be mistaken for melancholy. The harsh winters, cold winds, and ageing population doesn't help. Its international importance has clearly diminished since its Habsburg heyday, yet it still boasts an impressive port, a theoretical physics institute, some of the world’s largest insurance firms and the coffee company Illy, which sends 3 million sacks a year through the city. This eclectic mix seems fitting.
I used to think that the diversity of the city’s food was a reflection of the chequered past, but now I think the inverse is true. Whilst the constant motion of the city has brought in many influences, it has also hindered the development of any homogenous culture. We only need to contrast it with a city like Bologna to see the difference. Instead, culinary syncretism has made food a constant. As new influences come and go, recipes and ingredients do not replace existing cuisine, they are assimilated into it.
The gulasch is not the same as the Hungarian soup, nor are the sardoni the same as in Venice. Even the Viennese influences have mixed with Karst traditions to create something new, something unique to Trieste. If you talk to a local, you will unearth a subtle, yet fierce, pride in their food. It is something that truly belongs to them.
James Freeman