Everybody knows that Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But the local gastronomy is not so renowned as tourists usually concentrate on succulent dishes based on pasta and pizza. Nevertheless it is worth knowing more on culinary traditions such as fegato ala venesiana, sarde in saor and bigoli in salsa. If you are in Venice for your holidays you might consider taken some cooking classes or simply a food crawl in the city. Below we have listed some of the dishes that you might want to try

Fegato ala venesiana, an old recipe

The local Venetian dialect is widely spoken in the area and «Fegato ala venesiana» is the name of the typical recipe. The translation means liver in the Venetian way. It dates back to the Roman times when liver used to be cooked with figs in order to hide the strong smell it usually has. Over time the fruit was replaced by onions and it has become one of the most popular in Veneto. If you dare to prepare it, you must cut the onions into very thin slices and cook them in a pan with some olive oil and butter. After ten minutes, add up some vinegar and the liver cut into thin pieces. It will be prepared in five more minutes. Then you can add some salt and pepper and serve it with lemon slices. It must be eaten warm and never re-heat it to avoid the liver becoming too hard.

Sarde in saor, the taste of the sea

Sarde is the local word for sardines, the main ingredient of the recipe. While the fish is being fried, the other ingredients are prepared. Raisins are soaked for thirty minutes and onions are cut into thin slices and cooked in a pan with olive oil for ten minutes. Then some vinegar is added and cooking goes ahead until the onions are soft. Then the fried sardines are seasoned with plenty of vinegar in container and covered with the onions, sprinkled with pine nuts and raisins. Several layers of fish and seasoning are prepared and then marinated in a cool place for at least one day.

The result is a sweet and sour dish usually served as an appetizer. Back in the days of sea travel, sarde in saor was a way to preserve food for the seamen spending long time out on boats.

Bigoli in salsa, pasta in an original recipe

This recipe used to be prepared during days such as Christmas Eve or Good Friday. It is a very simple pasta dish to prepare but it is also really tasty and delicious. The main ingredients for the seasoning are onions again but this time accompanied by anchovies. And even if the pasta looks to you as spaghetti, it is not so. They are thicker and they have a rougher surface. That causes a difference in the taste and the sensation. And do not forget that the quality of the olive oil is important to obtain an exquisite dish.

If you enjoy Venetian gastronomy, you might be interested on other recipes such as risi e bisi (rice with peas), polenta, gnocchi or baccalà (codfish). And as dessert you can always try the sweet tiramisu or the typical pandoro.
Emilia Delizia oganises food activities in Venice that includes the typical cicchetti tour, cooking classes, and food and wine tours. If want to try the specialities listed above you can contact us and we will provide the best culinary experience in Italy.