Foods to Eat in Italy - Venice

- Risi e Bisi -

Risi e Bisi is a rice based Primo Piatto, or starter, which is commonly found in Venetian Trattorias (as well as the surrounding areas of Vicenza and Verona). While often translated as pea risotto, it's texture is in fact a happy medium between that of a risotto and soup, and so is more watery than one might expect if thinking of risotto, instead, think more along the lines of a thick soup (or porridge/congee). 

This is traditionally eaten in the spring as that is when the first crop of peas was harvested, and was a dish reserved for royalty as it was traditionally offered to the Venetian head of state during the the San Marco festival in April.

Historically, this is a dish hailing from the Republic of Venice, which quickly spread inland to the neighboring territories of Vicenza and Verona through trade, however, it is debated that this dish may be even older than the Republic of Venice and instead had Byzantine origins.

Risi e Bisi is fairly simple dish with only a few main ingredients, among which is peas, pancetta, rice, onion and parsley, however, it has a interesting quirk in its preparation as rather than using water to cook the rice, instead, a broth is made by boiling the peas and then this is used instead which leads to a more intense flavour. In addition, the rice used is not the usual carnaroli rice found in risottos, instead, Vialone Nano rice is used which is typical to the Veneto region.

Risi e Bisi and Complimentary Petit-fours, What More Could You Want?

If you are looking to impress but don't want to fall into one of the many tourist traps of Venice then look no further than Bistrot de Venise. Whilst their atmosphere is that of tradition, their food is more modern but unlike many other modern restaurants, they don't fall into the pitfall of completely disregarding the historic cuisines of the region. What they instead do is introduce some novel twists into many Venetian classics and the food is presented beautifully. When you go, be prepared for a memorable experience from the delicious food (and complimentary amuse-bouche, pre-dessert and sometimes petit-fours) to the lovely atmosphere and the friendly and knowledgeable staff.

A low-key but nonetheless great restaurant is Trattoria da Romano which is located in Burano. This Trattoria is run by the Romano family and is still going strong since its opening in 1920 and for good reason. Trattoria da Romano has a perfect mix of relaxing atmosphere, good food and friendly staff. As well as the Risi e Bisi, their seafood risottos are also definitely worth a try.