A taste of Venice at the table
After a day spent wandering around the streets of Venice, and perhaps a gondola tour, it's a good idea to devote some time to yourself and to your... stomach!
Sitting down at the table with a view of the most romantic city in the world will only increase your desire to enjoy a typical, local dish, but watch out for tourist traps: try to avoid set menus and "lasagna alla bolognese" (which is a typical dish from Bologna, not from Venice!) We have recreated a Venetian menu, a gastronomic tour, allowing you to taste the best that Venice brings to the table.
Starters
The key word in this case is "cicheto"! Before officially sitting down at the table, we begin with a round of "cicheti" or lots of small snacks accompanied by a glass of wine (called "ombra"), or better still a colourful Spritz.
Creamed, salted cod fish
For the Venetians the dried and salted cod is stockfish, which made an appearance in local cuisine in the 1500s. Nowadays, it is eaten in various ways, but the creamed recipe is the most common in local cuisine. According to the original recipe, only a few ingredients are needed: oil, salt, pepper, garlic, bay leaf and lemon.
"Risi e bisi" (Risotto with peas)
A symbolic dish for the Venetians, since the Doges wanted their 'risi e bisi' as main dishes at their banquets. In contrast with the important standing of the Doges, it's actually a dish with extremely simple ingredients: rice and peas.
Bigoli in salsa
Bigoli are a typical kind of Venetian pasta made with soft wheat flour, while the sauce is made with finely sliced onions and anchovies (or sardines) cooked in olive oil.
Venetian-style liver
This is one of the most well-known dishes in Venetian cuisine: the main course is liver and what makes it special is the sautéd onion mixed with white wine vinegar and olive oil.
Polenta and schie (lagoon shrimps)
On hearing the word "schie" you don't usually think of shrimps, but that's precisely what they are: boiled in water with some lemon, garlic, pepper and salt, all served on a bed of polenta. It is a very representative dish, precisely because it combines the flavours of the sea with those of the earth. Another peculiarity of Venetian cuisine are fried 'moeche' (soft shells): crabs that have shed their old shells and have just started building new ones, making the crabs soft and tender for a few hours. They're eaten fresh, fried with just a little flour or stuffed with egg in a very special way. A truly delicious dish!
Desserts
Venice is synonymous with Carnival and Carnival is synonymous with sweet pancakes! In the past, the fritole (Venetian-style doughnuts) were prepared in the street by "fritoleri" in small wooden huts and sold hot, to eat there and then. Today there are many variations on the original: some recipes include raisins, others cream or chocolate drops; they are always delicious and can be eaten all year round. Enjoy Venice from the canals to the restaurant tables and let yourself be carried away by its captivating atmosphere, one-of-a-kind in the world.
