Pestif-Pestith Festival

A turnip that tells a valley

There are foods that are worth more than a thousand history books. Pestith – called pestìf in Casso and pestìth in Erto, Claut, and Cimolais – is one of them: a turnip with a purple neck subjected to slow fermentation, an ancient peasant preserve from Valcellina and Val Vajont, now recognized as a Slow Food Presidium. The Festa del Pestif-Pestith is dedicated to this specialty, an event that in Vajont, in the province of Pordenone, brings the community together around the most authentic flavors of the territory.

A Slow Food Presidium on the table

Pestith was born out of the need to preserve the harvest for the long mountain winters. Today it has become a gastronomic symbol: it is enjoyed with liquid polenta, sautéed with butter and onion, or paired with sausage, speck, and pancetta. The festival is an opportunity to rediscover this product and the entire food and wine culture of the valleys, through a journey of zero-km tastings that promote local producers.

An evening of community

The event takes place in a heated hall with seating, a format well-suited to the early March mountain climate. After the opening of the kiosk with aperitifs, music, and typical products, the evening reaches its most exciting moment with the traditional popular songs of the Coro delle Cassane, the voice of the memory of these communities marked by the history of the Val Vajont.

Tradition and territory

Organized by Pro Loco Vajont APS, the festival is much more than a gastronomic fair: it is an act of identity guardianship, a way to keep alive the culture of a fragile and precious territory. For those visiting the area, it is a perfect opportunity to taste a flavor found nowhere else and to connect with the deep soul of the Pordenone mountains.