Why Italian Frico Is A Golden, Crispy Dish Worth Knowing By Name

Maybe you've never heard of frico, but you're about to. Pronounced "free-koh", this dish comes from Italy's Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the northeast and in its simplest form, it's a circle of fried mountain cheese. Specifically, Montasio, a semi-hard cheese native to the Alpine area, which is fried until it crisps up into frico croccante (which translates to crunchy frico). Or in other versions shredded potato and onion are folded in to create frico morbido (soft frico), which is a cheesy potato cake with a crispy outside and molten interior.

And it's honestly unbelievable. I've had the pleasure of eating this underrated Italian comfort food a few times growing up in Italy and I've never forgotten it. While historically it was a way to use up leftover scraps of cheese for poorer households, it's now become an iconic traditional food of the region. Nowadays, you'll find it in homes of all economic backgrounds, as well as on menus of trattorias and osterias, where it's served hot and crispy, often with polenta.

While frico obviously tastes unbelievable, half the appeal comes down to that crispy texture, which is why using Montasio is essential for a truly traditional experience. If you want to try it at home but can't locate any Montasio, then aged Parmigiano or Grana Padano could probably work as substitutes. Unfortunately, there is no plant-based alternative to this dish as the dairy's protein melting and crisping — thanks to the Maillard reaction – is what exemplifies frico.

In the potato-based frico morbido, shredded potato is fried in a pan first, with onions, then the cheese goes on top to melt and crisp up. The fried onions bring a little sweetness to the dish, which brings a nice balance to the saltier potatoes and cheese, although Montasio is not necessarily a very salty cheese. If anything, it's quite neutral, nutty, creamy, and doesn't overpower.  

In modern debates, some people believe shredded potatoes should be rinsed and dried for an even crispier texture but in traditional frico recipes this step is almost always skipped. As a result, frico has a much denser texture than had you rinsed and dried it, due to potato starch melding with the melted cheese and crisping the exterior structure while keeping the inside all gooey. Once it's set, you flip it and cook the other side until golden. It's a classic Italian recipe — simple ingredients that somehow transform into the most decadent experience.