Name: Jota
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 10 h 55 min
Cuisine: Italian, Trieste / Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Ingredients: 250 g dried borlotti beans, soaked in cold water for 8 hours and drained; 400 g smoked pork ribs or meaty smoked pork hock pieces, rinsed if very salty; 1.8 L cold water, plus more as needed; 2 bay leaves; 180 g onion, finely chopped; 10 g garlic, finely chopped; 25 ml extra-virgin olive oil; 500 g sauerkraut, drained; rinse lightly only if extremely sour or salty; 500 g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes; 5 g fine sea salt, use only as needed after tasting; 2 g freshly ground black pepper; 1 g caraway seeds, optional but appropriate to the regional flavour profile

Jota: wide hero view of thick orange-tan soup in a pale bowl with visible potato cubes, borlotti beans, sauerkraut strands and chunks of smoked pork

Prep25 minutes

Cook2 h 30 min

Total10 h 55 min

Yield6 servings

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The dish

About Jota

Jota is one of the clearest examples of the borderland cooking of Trieste and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Italia.it identifies it as a traditional soup of potatoes, beans and sour cabbage, flavoured with pork, reflecting the meeting of Italian, Habsburg and Slavic food traditions in the region.

The soup is substantial rather than brothy. Borlotti beans provide body, potatoes soften into the liquid, and sauerkraut contributes the defining acidity. The verified photographs show visible beans, potato cubes, cabbage strands and pieces of smoked pork in a thick orange-tan broth, so no smooth purée is used.

Dried beans are worth the planning because their cooking liquid contributes depth and starch. They are soaked overnight and simmered with smoked pork until almost tender before potatoes are added. Salt is restrained until late because both sauerkraut and smoked meat can vary dramatically.

Sauerkraut is cooked separately at first. This gives control over acidity and prevents its salt from slowing the beans before they soften. Some of the cooked beans and potatoes are crushed against the side of the pot at the end, thickening the soup naturally without a flour roux.

Jota is especially good after a short rest and is often even better the next day. The soup should finish thick enough that the ingredients remain suspended, but still fluid enough to ladle easily.

Technique

Three things that matter

Cook the beans before adding strong acidity. Sauerkraut enters only after the beans are nearly tender, helping them soften predictably.
Control salt late. Smoked pork and fermented cabbage can both be salty, so final seasoning comes after they are combined.
Mash only a portion. Crushing some beans and potatoes gives body while keeping the visible rustic pieces shown in the dish.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Ingredients

Beans and smoked pork

250 gdried borlotti beanssoaked in cold water for 8 hours and drained
400 gsmoked pork ribs or meaty smoked pork hock piecesrinsed if very salty
1.8 Lcold waterplus more as needed
2bay leaves
180 gonionfinely chopped
10 ggarlicfinely chopped
25 mlextra-virgin olive oil

Sauerkraut and potatoes

500 gsauerkrautdrained; rinse lightly only if extremely sour or salty
500 gfloury potatoespeeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
5 gfine sea saltuse only as needed after tasting
2 gfreshly ground black pepper
1 gcaraway seedsoptional but appropriate to the regional flavour profile

Step by step

Method

Cook the beans and pork

Start with soaked beans and smoked pork. Put the drained beans, smoked pork, bay leaves and 1.6 L cold water in the large pot. Bring slowly to a simmer, skim if needed and cook gently for 75–90 minutes.
The beans should be almost tender but still hold their shape before potatoes enter.
Soften the aromatics. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat for 8 minutes until soft. Add them to the bean pot.
The onion should be sweet and translucent without dark browning.

Prepare the sauerkraut

Simmer the cabbage separately. Place the sauerkraut in a saucepan with 200 ml water and the caraway if using. Cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes.
The cabbage should be tender but still visibly strand-like, with no dry scorching.
Taste before combining. Check the sauerkraut and smoked pork for salt and acidity. Rinse only a small portion of sauerkraut if the flavour is aggressively salty.
The goal is assertive sourness without a harsh briny edge.

Finish the jota

Add the potatoes. Add potatoes to the bean pot and simmer 20–25 minutes until tender. Remove the pork, strip usable meat from the bones and cut or tear it into bite-size pieces.
Potato cubes should crush easily with a spoon while some still retain their edges.
Combine with sauerkraut and pork. Add the cooked sauerkraut and pork back to the pot. Simmer together for 15 minutes, adding a little hot water only if the soup becomes too dense.
Beans, potatoes, cabbage and pork should be evenly distributed in a thick broth.
Thicken naturally and season. Mash about one ladle of beans and potatoes against the side of the pot and stir them back in. Add pepper and only as much salt as needed. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
The soup should coat the ladle but still flow freely into the bowl.

Practical guidance

Sauerkraut

Do not automatically rinse it heavily. Its acidity defines jota; rinse only enough to correct an unusually salty or sharp product.

Smoked pork

Smoked ribs or hock give the broth depth and visible meat pieces. Very salty cured cuts may need a brief rinse before cooking.

Thickness

A small amount of crushed potato and beans is enough. Jota should remain visibly rustic rather than becoming a smooth bean soup.

Make-ahead

The soup improves after an overnight chill. Reheat slowly with a small amount of water if the starches make it too thick.

Troubleshooting

The beans remain hard. Acidic sauerkraut was added too early or the beans are very old. Cook the beans nearly tender before combining with cabbage.
The soup is too sour. Dilute with a little bean broth or hot water and add more potato; do not neutralise the character completely.
The soup is too salty. Use unsalted hot water to loosen it and add extra cooked potato or beans. Salt should be adjusted only after the smoked meat and sauerkraut are combined.
The broth is thin. Mash a small portion of beans and potatoes and simmer uncovered for several minutes.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 large bowl
Calories: approximately 485 kcal
Carbohydrates: 52 g
Protein: 31 g
Fat: 17 g
Fibre: 13 g
Sodium: approximately 1,150 mg

Smoked pork and sauerkraut brands can move sodium far above or below this estimate.

Allergens and food safety

Contains pork; the base recipe is gluten-free if the smoked meat and sauerkraut are free from added gluten-containing ingredients.

Keep smoked pork chilled, cook it thoroughly during the long simmer and remove bones carefully before returning the meat to the soup.

Cool leftovers rapidly, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat to 74°C before serving hot again.

FAQ

What makes jota sour?

Sauerkraut, locally associated with capuzi garbi, provides the characteristic acidity.

Can canned beans be used?

Yes for a faster version, but dried beans provide a richer cooking liquid. Add canned beans later because they are already tender.

Is jota supposed to be thick?

Yes. It is a hearty, spoon-coating soup, but the ingredients should remain visible rather than being fully puréed.

Final note

What matters most

Result: A thick, warming soup with tender beans and potatoes, bright sour cabbage and savoury pieces of smoked pork in every bowl.
Key: Soften beans before adding acidity, season only after the salty ingredients meet and thicken with the soup’s own starch rather than masking its rustic texture.

About Jota

Three things that matter

Ingredients

Ingredients

Beans and smoked pork

Sauerkraut and potatoes

Method

Practical guidance

Sauerkraut

Smoked pork

Thickness

Make-ahead

Troubleshooting

Nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

What makes jota sour?

Can canned beans be used?

Is jota supposed to be thick?

What matters most

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