The purple-neck white turnip, or bruade in the Friuli dialect, is the main ingredient in this dish that goes back to the first century AD, when it appeared in the ancient recipe book by Apicius. For some years now, it’s been a product protected by the DOP mark. And at Christmas you can taste it with muset, a sausage similar to cotechino.
Turnip and pomace: how brovada is made
Would you like to offer your guests a typical dish with exquisite origins this Christmas? Yes, we’re talking about purple-neck white turnips, which – through an ancient and traditional fermentation process in pomace – are a treasure of Friulian cuisine.
Here is how brovada is made: after being harvested and the external leaves removed, the turnips are placed in vats. They’re covered with black grape pomace, a little salt, and water mixed with wine or vinegar. Then they’re left to ferment for 40 to 60 days, during which they take on their characteristic pink color. The flavor is less pungent than that of fresh turnips and the aroma, naturally, is of pomace. After being processed, they’re washed, grated and packaged.
Brovada was born from the ancient need to preserve turnips over the winter. The typical dish you’ll find on Friulian tables during the Christmas season is brovada and muset (or musetto, a sausage similar to cotechino). Tradition requires the use of brovada DOP. It can accompany meats, but is also used as an ingredient for soups or unique vegetable-based dishes.
Recipe: Brovada and muset
Ingredients
18 ounces of fermented turnips, 2 musetti (cotechino from Friuli), 3 cloves of garlic, 4 bay leaves, Vegetable broth, Extra-virgin olive oil, Salt, Pepper
Method
Bring the musetti to a boil in cold water. Lower the heat, letting simmer for 90 minutes. In a saucepan, sauté the garlic and bay leaves. Pour in the brovada with a little vegetable stock and cover for 90 minutes. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of white flour to thicken. Combine the musetti and the brovada and let cook for 30 minutes. Serve hot.