Page 240 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Venice & The Veneto

238  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

The Flavours of Venice and the Veneto

The cuisine of Venice and the Veneto reflects the region’s varied landscape,
from cattle-grazing and agricultural land to mountains and coastline. The
most important sources of ingredients, however, are the waters – both
inland and coastal – that yield a constant supply of fish and seafood. In
general, the cooking is light, fresh and delicately flavoured, without heavy
sauces. Fish may be simply grilled or poached with herbs, while carpaccio
of raw beef is sliced to transparent thinness. The vibrant colours of
dishes recall canvases by Tintoretto or Titian: bright yellow saffron or
polenta, emerald green fresh peas, dark red radicchio and the blue-
black stain of cuttlefish ink in riso nero risotto. Saffron

Venice was the prosperous with gold leaf. A few traces
gateway to the East, imported of these exotic influences still
spices, pepper, raisins, pine nuts appear in classic Venetian
and sugar made their way into cooking, such as Asian-style
the diet. Recipes from the period sweet and sour combinations
cite ingredients such as ginger, and the use of spices as well as
nutmeg, saffron, cloves, herbs. Baccalà (dried salted cod)
cinnamon and coriander. The originally brought from the Baltic
city’s noble families liked their area, is still very popular, often
food to be appealing to the eye cooked with milk or wine and
as well as the palate, and so they garlic or onion. Superb
introduced fine, locally made vegetables are grown in market
glassware to enhance the table. gardens on the islands of the
They served extravagant fare lagoon, not least the delicious
Produce from the Veneto is loaded onto such as peacock, roasted whole purple artichokes (castraure)
the Venetian canalside with spices and then garnished from Sant’ Erasmo.
Venetian Food Caper berries Marinated white anchovies
Food in Venice is almost always Olives wrapped in Seafood cocktail
Italian, and many restaurants anchovies
serve local specialities. There are
very few ethnic eating places
despite the city’s long history
as a trading port and home to
foreign settlers. Foodstuffs have
always been traded, starting
with the local salt and fish. In the
15th and 16th centuries, when Selection of Venetian antipasti, the perfect appetizer
Regional Dishes and Specialities
Antipasto di frutti di mare (a mixed seafood appetizer) is a special
favourite in Venice, where the ingredients come fresh from the
Adriatic. From lovely Lake Garda, anguilla del pescatore (stewed
eel), lavarelli al vino bianco (lake fish in white wine) and
carpione (a type of lake trout) are all fishy delights.
Another fish speciality of the region is baccalà alla
veneziana, made with dried salt cod. Pork and
salamis feature throughout the area, but closer
to Friuli, goose is often used as an alternative
to pork, with succulent cured meat offerings
Asparagus such as salame d’oca (goose salami). Game
is also found on the menu, together with Sarde in Saor is a Venetian
sauerkraut and filling goulash, while desserts often have an Austrian speciality of fried sardines in a
flavour, too, such as Apfelstrudel. But the region is also proud of sweet and sour onion mar inade,
claiming as its own the voluptuous, classic Italian dessert tiramisù. with pine nuts.

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Feature template “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v1.3)
Date 7th January 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm