On the Ramblas of Barcelona people eat Tapas, in the Venetian Calli they eat cicchetti. A tradition almost as old as the city itself that tells the story of a Venice of merchants and travelers, people passing through who, when they found themselves in the city, loved to really experience it and to spend the time with other people.
Cicchetti get their name from the Latin word ciccus, literally meaning “small quantity.” They are in fact small samples of, strictly Venetian, food – cold cuts, baccalà, fried mozzarella sardines, battered vegetables, meatballs or squid skewers-often, served over slices of bread.
They are usually accompanied by a Spritz or “Ombra,” which is a glass of wine. Even the term “Ombra” tells something about the Venice of the past: it derives from the long-standing custom of Venetian merchants to set up the drinks counter under the shadow of St. Mark’s bell tower so that the wine would stay cool.
Today Hostaria Bacanera is reviving the tradition of cicchetti through its new Più di un Cicchetto menu: a tasting menu consisting of ten small courses that allows for a typically Venetian convivial experience.
Our “cicchetti” include: Schie with mother-of-pearl white polenta, White asparagus from St. Erasmo, Clam soup with garlic, chili pepper and oil, Marina di Chioggia pumpkin with black truffle from Monte Baldo, Fried moeche, Sarde in saor, King prawns “alla busara 2.0.”
A journey through the history of local gastronomic delights.