Foods to Eat in Italy - Venice

- Mołéche -

Mołéche are Venetian soft-shell crabs and are popular as a Cicchetti, starter or as part of a larger dish. These are made using small green crabs that call the Venetian lagoon their home and are a seasonal dish as they are only available in the Spring. 

This is because they shed their shells only in Spring and speed is of the essence as within a few hours, the carapace hardens again after contact with the water. So the skill lies in identifying ones that are about to molt and indeed, this is not a easy job as there is an entire career (specialized fishermen known as Mołécanti) revolving around the identification and catching of these crabs.

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.

Foods to Eat in Italy - Venice

- Baccalà Mantecato -

Baccalà Mantecato, otherwise known as creamed codfish, is a traditional and popular Venetian dish eaten as an antipasto, cicchetti or even as a sandwich filling. Baccalà, meaning dried cod, was introduced to the Venetian people by Querini in the 15th Century. A captain that sailed the world but alas, disaster struck and he was shipwrecked in Norway, however, every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, he discovered the Nordic way of preserving fish and brought it back to Venice whereby it quickly became a household favourite. Nowadays, there are more than 40 Baccalà recipes, with Baccalà Mantecato being the most well-known one.

Baccalà Mantecato is prepared by first soaking the codfish in water for at least 2 days, then poached and the bone and skin removed. Finally, it is blended (or traditionally, whipped) with olive oil, garlic, parsley and salt to reach a consistency akin to a fine mousse. It is then served with toasted bread, croutons or more traditionally, grilled polenta, which is another Venetian staple.

Foods to Eat in Italy - Venice

- Sarde in Saor - 

Sarde in Saor is a typical Venetian dish found in most osteria (small taverns) and bacari (a mix between a gastrobar and a wine bar), served as either an appetizer or a bar snack. It consists of fried sardines marinated in onions, raisins, vinegar and pine nuts, a good example of a typical Italian agrodolce dish. This refers to any dish that has a sauce that is both sweet and sour, and in this case, is produced by the raisins and vinegar respectively. You will find that agrodolce is very prevalent in Italian food but also found in cuisines the world over such as the gastrique used in French cooking or even 糖醋酱 (sweet and sour sauce) used in Chinese cooking.

Sarde in Saor came about because of the need for Venetian fishermen to keep fish fresh for extended periods of time whilst at sea and originally only consisted of sardines (or any fish) layered in oil, cooked onions and vinegar. It was not until the Renaissance period where raisins and pine nuts were also added which turned it from a simple way of preserving fish to a fully fledged dish.