Island Jause

The most fascinating thing about Monte Isola is not that it is a small town – or rather a set of small villages – located on an island of the same name, which is the largest lake island not only in Italy but also in Central and South Europe. It is not that the island’s highest point rises more than 400 meters over the surface of Lake Iseo, or that there are about 1,800 people living on the island permanently and travelling between villages on motorcycles or an amazingly efficient system of small buses. No, the most fascinating thing is that the beer that you get in most of Monte Isola’s tiny village cafés is nearly always Austrian. I could hardly believe my eyes seeing all those Hirters and Gössers.

Senza Senso is an exception, for it serves Stella Artrois, which is an excellent beer on its own right and tastes even better at a special place like this restaurant. Half an hour walk from the island’s main port of Peschiera, Senz Senso seems to be a very popular location (almost all the clients were Italians), and had I come just a few minutes later, I would have had troubles finding a table, at least in the restaurant’s shady garden.

A platter of cured meats costs 17 euros, and for 8 euros more, one can extend it with three local cheeses and honey. Yes, it’s expensive, but I am happy I took the cheese, because it was the most enjoyable part of the dish, the hard cheese especially. As for the meats, mentally swap the two leftmost types on the photo and you will have them sorted left-to-right from the worst to the best. The very thinly cut Speck was very chewy, and a substantial part of my Stella Artrois was used to pour it down. The hard salami on the right side is the island’s specialty, having a very special and pleasant taste. Apparently, the island’s inhabitants have a long tradition and an elaborate procedure of producing it (google it if you are interested) and even insist that the same procedure applied outside the island does not yield the same results. One can believe this or not, but the salami was really marvelous. I did not buy it for home, naively thinking it would be available at the airport, and regret it now.

I liked the bread – very fresh, with crunchy crust – but missed pickles and other green stuff that are usually present on Austrian Brettljausen. Even butter was not available (though I was probably supposed to use olive oil), and halfway through the meat part eating became a sort of a struggle. Fortunately, I left the cheeses for the end, and they helped me conclude the meal on a positive note.

Looking back, this Brettljause was probably not intended for one person. The platter was certainly a great way to try different cured meats and cheeses of the island, but if you can, order it as a starter and share among two or, better, three people. Then order something else from the menu as a main dish.