A journey of the palate in tradition

Crabs, octopus, scallops, squid, caparossoli, cape longhe, mussel, pevarasse, rice and peas, bovoletti and the list could go on forever. Eating in Venice means enjoying the excellent fish from the Adriatic Sea and vegetables prepared not only with traditional recipes from the islands but also in the most varied ways offered with great culinary imagination. You can eat in restaurants but also in the famous bacari or in the osterie , where one can eat well and try all the flavors of an original cuisine. So get ready to taste the 10 dishes that, in our opinion, cannot be missed in your Venetian menu.

• Without spending a lot you can try the tramezzini, Venetian sandwiches which are fresh and original: many combinations of fillings, wrapped in soft bread triangles. A must-try in the many bars in the city center. The price is roughly 1,50 euro each. They should be accompanied by un’ombra – a glass of wine – or the classic spritz, a Venetian aperitif that has been exported all around the world, which is made with prosecco, soda and Aperol, Select, or Bitter.
• In the wake of finger food you’ll find the famous cicchetti which too have been exported all over the world. There are many types and they’re quite different from one another: they range from half an egg with anchovy to fish tasting, from a piece of herring to nerves, from boiled octopus to slices of bread stuffed with baccalà, cold cuts, vegetables and cheeses. And to finish the meal you can try the fried meatballs, which are always tasty and irresistible. The cicchetti can be enjoyed sitting down, or, in the true Venetian way, standing while sipping on un’ombra.
• Another special food dish is the sarde in saor accompanied by warm polenta. Either as a starter or as a tasty second, the sardines are fried first then marinated with onions that have been cooked with vinegar, pine nuts and raisins.
• The spaghetti or riso al nero di seppia are quite fascinating and a real delicacy. The pasta and rice have an intense color, but the taste is extremely delicate. A must try.
• If you’re ever in Venice in April you can taste the St. Erasmo’s castraure fritte, a very  tender artichoke that has an indescribable taste. The castraure are the result of the apical artichoke plant, which are cut just as they flourish in order to allow the artichokes on the side to grow. These artichokes are just as tender and tasty as the castraure.
• If you love fried food we recommend the fried fish mix with delicious moeche (crabs just after molting) which are caught during the crabs season in the Laguna.
• You’ll note that almost all the restaurants offer scampi alla busara in their menus. Made with spaghetti, the scampi alla busara are simply cooked with onions, white wine, hot pepper and tomato sauce. The end result is simply exceptional.
• Among the most famous food dishes in Venice is the fegato alla veneziana, or rather calf’s liver sliced ​​and cooked in the classic way with fried onions, butter, olive oil and a handful of parsley.
• Don’t miss out on tasting some baccalà mantecato. It is cooked and stirred slowly – as per tradition – until it becomes a tasty cream. You can eat it as an appetizer, but also as a second dish, served with bread or polenta croutons.
• And finally, you haven’t been to Venice if you haven’t tried the legendary gianduiotto con la panna di Nico, alle Zattere. It’s basically a slab of chocolate ice cream gianduia smothered in a cloud of fresh whipped cream. You can savor it while strolling along the beautiful foundation that Brodskij loved dearly.