Holding head to globalization, Venice managed to preserve its gastronomy and its typical dishes. But the real ritual is consumed as an aperitif: the time of the famous Cicchetti e ombre (tastings and wine).
“Baccalà mantecato, per favore” (“Creamed salt cod, please”), in the Venetian bacari (wine bars) a few words in the language of Casanova are enough to make a great appetizer. Still, even without words, simply indicating the desired dishes with your finger through the window, nobody will be offended.
At the counter showcase, open to all winds, Venetians and foreigners find themselves standing elbow to elbow, at the sacred hour of the aperitif: from 18.00 to 20.00 approximately.
Low prices and excellent cuisine for small portions of polpette (meatballs), soppressa (salami), sarde in saor (sardines in sauce), folpetti (polyps), cozze ripiene (stuffed mussels), mezo vovo (boiled egg with anchovy) and many other delicacies.
Of course, these tastings are accompanied with a small glass of wine (ombra), which can be white or red, for the white one you can choose a classic Prosecco or the rare Orto di Venezia (natural wine, slightly salty, from the island of St. Erasmo ), for the red one you can choose among the typical Merlot, Cabernet, and Raboso, to a wide selection of Italian wines.
Young people prefer to drink the spritz, a cocktail of Prosecco or white wine, Seltz, and a bitter liqueur (such as Aperol or Campari) based on gentian. Someone adds a slice of orange and olive. In Venice, it is said that there are so many recipes for a spritz than bartenders!
