L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano I n t h e r e s t o f t h e country is al bar per l ' a p e r i t i v o , b u t in Venezia, you go t o t h e b à c a r o f o r cicchetti. If you're not famil- iar with them, you're forgiv- en: neither was I until an old friend from Veneto, back in the days when I was young and living abroad, waxed l y r i c a l a b o u t h o w g r e a t Venice's cicchetti were. Anyways, yes: cicchetti, w h a t a r e t h e y ? W e l l , i n short, they're little morsels of traditional Venetian food, often compared to Spanish tapas in articles about them: they comprise a variety of cold cuts or fish, served on bread or squares of polenta and – a key and essential characteristic – they change depending on the season. Their name comes from the Latin ciccus, which means "small quantity." Indeed, cicchetti are not quite a full dish, they are a small taste of it. But that's the beauty of them because you can have many and enjoy the variety. They can be hot or cold, and they are not quite a meal, mind: in that, they share a lot with the nation's beloved aperitivo which, in truth, h a s b e c o m e h e f t i e r a n d more substantial in the past 20 years than it was back in the 1990s when you'd get, at the most, some potato chips and a couple of squares of focaccia. I wonder if this modern, often stylish ver- sion of aperitivo has taken inspiration from Venice's own cicchetti which, we'll see, offer a variety of fairly hearty foods to satisfy every palate. Cicchetti are typical of Venezia and there is a type of tourism associated with them, because visitors often make a point of trying the best in town all in one go, a b i t l i k e a p u b c r a w l i n Dublin, just with food and wine instead of Guinness and cheese and onion chips. To find them, you have to go to the right place, which is n e i t h e r a t r a d i t i o n a l b a r "all'Italiana" – where you'd get your Aperol Spritz, to be clear – nor a restaurant. If you want real cicchetti, you must find a bàcaro. A bit of history about this bona fide institution of La Serenissima is here necessary. According to Venezia Today, an online magazine dedicated to the city, the term derives from the name of a type of wine that used to be imported in t h e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y f r o m P u g l i a ; i t w a s s o l d , b a c k then, in taverns called mal- vasie, where you'd find only n o n - l o c a l w i n e . O u t o f curiosity, there were also other types of taverns, on the base of wine sold: maga- zen only sold cheap wine, while furatole only sold to the poor. Anyway, legends say that, one day, a gondo- lier tried a glass of Apulian wine in his locacmalvasia a n d c o m m e n t e d w i t h a "questo xe proprio un vin de b à c a r o , " w h i c h r o u g h l y translates as: "this is a wine good for partying," because i n V e n e t i a n f a r b à c a r a m e a n s t o p a r t y h a r d i n honor of Bacchus, the god of wine. B à c a r i t o d a y a r e a m i x between a pub and a bar, but they keep their tradi- tional Venetian allure. It's here you need to go if you w a n t t o t r y c i c c h e t t i a n d an ombra. Having un'ombra d i r o s s o o r d i b i a n c o , means having a glass of red or white wine and it's a typi- c a l V e n e t i a n e x p r e s s i o n that, it seems, comes from the habit wine merchants h a d , b a c k i n t h e d a y , t o place their stalls in the shad- o w o f S t M a r k ' s b e l f r y t o k e e p t h e i r d r i n k s cool. Andar per ombre in Venice is just as traditional as andar per cicchetti, so you should really do the two together. We know what cicchetti are, where to find them, and what to have them with. All w e n e e d t o d o n o w i s t r y them. We should, however, g e t t o k n o w t h e m m o r e c l o s e l y : w e s h o u l d k n o w what to expect! The quintessential cic- c h e t t o i s s a r d e i n saor, sweet and sour sar- dines, that are first fried, then layered with onions, pine nuts, raisins, and final- ly stewed in oil and some vinegar. They need to rest for at least 24 hours before being served. Baccalà man- tecato is simpler to prepare but just as wholesome and tasty, and usually served on plain bread or a square of polenta: according to food- ies magazine Dissapore, no real bàcaro would serve cic- chetti without baccalà man- tecato, you've been warned. Another typical cicchetto is t h e s i m p l e a n d d e l i c i o u s mezzo uovo con l'acciuga, w h i c h i s j u s t t h a t : h a l f a b o i l e d e g g , d r e s s e d w i t h some salt, pepper and olive o i l , a n d f i n i s h e d w i t h a n anchovy on top. You may be m o r e f a m i l i a r w i t h m o z - zarella in carrozza, a tradi- tion of Naples that found its place among the cicchetti, too: here in Venice, it comes with anchovies or ham. And t h e n , m u s e t t o ( a t y p e o f sausage made with the snout of the pig, similar to zam- pone) e polenta; bovoleti, small snails usually caught between April and October; folpeti, delicious baby octo- pus boiled and dressed in olive oil, pepper, lemon, and sliced celery. All traditional- ly Venetian options, that go h a n d i n h a n d w i t h m o r e u b i q u i t o u s c h o i c e s l i k e p o l p e t t e ( m e a t b a l l s ) and fritti, a mix-and-match of fried deliciousness which can include zucchini flowers, vegetables, and fish. Last but not least, during Carnevale, cicchetti come a l s o a s a d e s s e r t : t h e best bàcari, this time of the year, will also offer you fried custard! It's time to discover Venezia's cicchetti CHIARA D'ALESSIO Cicchetti are Venice's version of aperitivo. They are seasonal and they include a plethora of traditional dishes like sweet and sour sardines, fried vegetables and cod (Photos, from left, clockwise: Rosshelen/Dreamstime; Sarah_Robson/Dreamstime; Francesca_cs_photo/Shutterstock) LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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