What to eat in Trieste
Jota is a border soup for cold days, presnitz and putizza are pastries from the Austro-Hungarian layer of the city, and coffee is drunk standing at the counter, as it is all over town.
- Presnitz
- €9.80 (250 g) – €16.40 (500 g)
- Putizza
- €9.80 (300 g) – €16.40 (600 g)
- Gelato
- €2.30 (scoop)
Trieste eats jota, a thick soup from the border, and two pastries from the city's Austro-Hungarian layer: presnitz and putizza. Coffee is drunk at the counter.
A soup from the border
Sauerkraut, beans and potato cooked with smoked meat, a thick soup eaten in Trieste all year, most of all in winter. Everything cooks together, so jota is a one-pot dish.
Pastries from the Austro-Hungarian layer
Presnitz is a spiral pastry with walnuts, almonds, pine nuts and dried fruit, €9.80 (250 g) – €16.40 (500 g) depending on the weight. Putizza is a similar roll filled with walnut or poppy seed, €9.80 (300 g) – €16.40 (600 g). Both are sold by weight in the bakeries and carried on the move.
Coffee at the counter, and gelato
In Trieste coffee is most often drunk standing at the counter — at Caffè degli Specchi on the square it runs €1 at the counter / €2.50 at a table. Gelato around town runs €2.30 (scoop).
Street food and a set menu
Street food, a ham and horseradish panino, runs €5. A set menu with two courses and a side runs €15.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is jota?
A thick soup of sauerkraut, beans and potato with smoked meat, typical of Trieste and the border area.
How much does coffee cost in Trieste?
€1 at the counter / €2.50 at a table. In Trieste coffee is mostly drunk standing up.
Ready for Trieste?
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How well does Trieste suit you?
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