It's the first time in Venice? Ask us, we will help you to find the right accommodation.
It is known that Venice has for centuries been an authentic port of trade between East and West, this opens a range of topics and a long walk back that weaves art history, religious gatherings and the presence in the city of Many historic communities that enrich our culture.
Pilgrims from all over Europe came to Venice in the period of the Ascension (the "Festa della Sensa") to embark for the Holy Land, astounded by the quantity and variety of merchandise that could be found in this city 's water.
Chronicles transpires from their admiration for the good government that guaranteed such great prosperity, detectable by both stocked markets, both from stores such as barns of Newfoundland and Fontego.
The supply of flour justified the progressive conquest of the mainland that will shortly see Venice as the "queen of the land and sea."
The conquest of the Orient leads Venice to get the spice route, imposing on the markets of existing EU countries.
Find their daily use, as acquired, several products of eastern origin, in the case of spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, sugar, etc. ... and any use by characteristics typically Oriental became almost exaggerated in later centuries Medieval, Renaissance and continued later in the find yet, although smaller doses, to this day, more consistent than in other regional cuisines.
Historical documents tell us that in the fifteenth century Venetian warehouses were annually discharged by ships from the eastern ports about five thousand tons of spices, a good amount of these spices remained in the city to increase the burgeoning industry led by "wholesale apothecaries" with secret recipes that prepared the famous "sacheti Venetian" and "Venetian speciarie", sold at a very high price.
Great use of spices in the kitchen for six centuries is presented in a recipe del'300 an unknown chef, known to us as the "ginger chicken" and where the amount of spices used is good seven hundred and fifty grams .
Another important contamination of oriental origin of Venetian cuisine is Jewish, is abundant in Venice for the presence of a large community in the first ghetto in history.
The rice with raisins, "the cugoli" (dumplings of breadcrumbs), goose salami and much more are the result of combination laid down by the rigid prohibitions and religious obligations as well as the use of combine rice the various types of vegetables, the introduction of meat goose, duck and turkey later.
Among the products of Eastern rice is the one that best characterizes the Venetian cuisine. During the Middle Ages was one of the most expensive food and was very often sold in "spices" for medical use, as food was reduced almost to flour and used to thicken soups.
It is in the sixteenth century that rice became the king of the boards of the Venetians and became part of the Venetian gastronomy: "risi e bisi" (peas from the gardens of the lagoon) is a dish of Venice's most important festival, the Feast of San Marco; and Carlo Goldoni, one of his plays, speaks of "a hundred rice quagietta cola."
In fact, a tourist in Venice, can enjoy a variety of risottos and soups with rice and nuances that will get surprised by these particular dishes will offer.
Traditional Venetian cuisine is basically a simple kitchen, because they were simple and basic elements, methods of preparation and cooking times, but at the same time is a complex cuisine that you could say that has followed the events of ancient history of the city pavement, with a language combinations and flavors.
For example, in our tradition, there are dishes based on the use of abattoir (liver, spleen, heart, nerves, tripe, etc ...) as well as more elaborate: "sopa coada", oyster soup , stuffed duck, all sweets, etc ..., some of which are still in daily use.
Famous and notable banquets offered by the Venetian Republic on the occasion of the arrival in the city of princes and foreign ambassadors, and the most important holidays, during which they were using the proverbial "piron" (fork) brought from Byzantium and the famous " sugar triumphs "(food then unknown in Europe which used honey only) sugar that Venice imported from Turkey, having the monopoly and that imposed on markets.
Closely linked to the evolution of the economic history of Venice is also the use of stored products and associated conservation techniques. In markets, the "lagoon" in addition to sausages you could also find the meat of sturgeon, tuna and cod, and the explanation of the use of these products is to be found in the habits of the Venetians to bear sea voyages that could last even a year.
Hence the origin of the most famous Venetian recipe of "fish sauce" or precisely "sardines in sauce". This bittersweet, arrived from Constantinople, mixes fish with onions, sultanas, pine nuts and vinegar. Besides having a special flavor, could be taken at sea and eaten in days with "bussolai" (cookies that last time).
The fish, after all, a seaside town is obviously the basis of 'power, but the Venetian table does not disdain game.
"Bird-catching" in lagoon had already been medieval habit and many are the pictorial evidence on hunting in the valley. Hunted game was cooked on a spit and filled with herbs, it is done today: small birds (eg quails) are threaded onto skewers alternating with pieces of pork, bacon or bacon and accompanied by soft polenta; by Hence the famous "polenta and Osei."
The polenta was already in use by Mediterranean populations and the ancient Romans and its ingredients were minced broad beans and spelled, but the real polenta came with corn imported from America and was later cultivated on a large scale in the Veneto.
The culinary revolution introduced by Venetians was noticed also in the courses of fruit and vegetables, many of which initially came from the Middle East, like cauliflower, spinach and artichokes and whose production then, as well as to the present day , was supplied by the abundant and varied cultivation of our islands in the lagoon as not to remember "artichokes" island of St. Erasmus (the first artichokes cut in early spring) and the sough of the lagoon, "bruscandoli" (young sprouts of hops), which prepares a risotto, nothing short of sublime.
All these first and others exhibit themselves on the banks of the historic Rialto market: a feast for the eyes and the palate, where you can find everything from fruit and vegetables to meat, fish, cheeses, breads and cakes.
Most important was the fact all the confectionery industry which must take into account cosmopolitan Venetian. In fact since 1500 appears the coffee imported from Turkey and much later, in 1700, the chocolate and use of such chiffel Austrian cakes, donuts, strudel, etc. ...
Coffee and chocolate remind us of the famous historic Caffè Florian and Goldoni's works: it is towards the end of 1500 the establishment of the first coffee shops in Piazza San Marco where coffee is recognized as an instrument of culture and socialization.
the Venetian dessert does not end here, they continue with "caramel", the caramelized fruit, cookies (such as the famous "baicoli"), "fugasse", "fritole", the "galant", "buranelli" (typical biscuits from the island of Burano) and many more; everything was always washed down with wines such as the eastern Cypriot wine, raisin wines and Malvasia.
Once the serving was in "furatole" (the smoky taverns and smoke from fireplaces) and Malvasia (retailers of fine wines), where he served the famous and very present "spritz", whose name dates back to the Habsburg reminiscences.
The affiliation of the "furatole" and "malvasie" "bacari", where we can enjoy appetizing "cicheti" always accompanied by a shadow of good wine.
Another appealing aspect of Venetian gastronomy is the habit to meet and eat in many taverns.
The gastronomic journey lived by Venice through the centuries is exceptional and very rich, and becomes even more valuable in the early riscontrandolo cookbooks that were printed along with the rest of the music scores and other books in many languages, recognizing the capital of printing in Venice and Home of the presence of most important to this industry, including our Aldus Manutius.
The triumphs of Venetian cuisine were so extraordinary to be found expressed in the most beautiful Renaissance paintings, including the famous "Feast in the House of Levi" or "The Marriage at Cana" by Paolo Veronese, in which the richness and variety of the table of ' Elegant Venetian environment is expressed with such great detail and colors in order to forget the specificity of the religious subject.
The proposed routes to appreciate this subject are so numerous: from the Correr Museum, the Accademia Gallery, the Rialto market in the Ghetto, from around baccari of the best bakeries.
