Cicchetti – a dish in Venice

If you ask the Venetians to define cicchetti, you will get many answers. Because this is a snack, it consists of a small piece of bread with toppings on top. Toppings can consist of many, rather than a few, ingredients. Initially, it consisted of simple toppings such as octopus, hard-boiled eggs, anchovies… then modified with a variety of seafood, fried meatballs… skewered with toothpicks.

In a city of canals crisscrossed with classic walkways, sipping a drink and eating cicchetti, chatting with friends in a bar is an integral part of local life. If you are a tourist, wandering all day, this is also the food you should buy and bring.

“You won’t be able to go home after work without stopping for drinks and snacks, meeting friends, keeping up with the news of the day. Cicchetti is the glue that holds Venetians together,” the producer said. famous mask maker Sergio Boldrin said.

Venetians can eat cicchetti as a pre-dinner dessert, or order a variety for a late lunch. If you want to try a few different addresses, you should visit the shop late in the afternoon, because many places close around 19-20h. Shops selling cicchetti are known as bacari – local-style bars, ranging from morning coffee to traditional grappa.

Each cicchtetto is the chef’s own creation. This snack is considered part of the soul of Venice. Venetians don’t like to drink when they’re hungry. Thus, this snack was born. It comes from the latin word “ciccus” which means “small amount”.

One of the famous cicchetti bars is Schiavi in ​​the Dorsoduro district. The bar used to be a cellar in the late 19th century. Today, the restaurant serves dozens of fresh cicchetti, and 25 wines. You’ll find the owner, Alessandra De Respinis, standing behind the counter every morning, chatting with visitors while still preparing food.

De Respinis started running the small restaurant in 1970, after her father-in-law died and her husband took over the family business. She expanded the cicchetti menu and devoted herself to making the restaurant known for its delicious food. Today, at the age of 70, De Respinis still likes to serve this savory dish to guests with his own hands, despite the support of his descendants. Under her hand, a menu of about 70 types of cicchetti was born. The most famous is tuna mixed with egg yolk, capers, mayonnaise, parsley, sprinkled with bitter cocoa.

Ristorante Local is also another option for diners. The restaurant is awarded a Michelin star, and only serves a tasting menu (each dish is only served in small quantities, just enough for one person). The cicchetti here are constantly changing and inspired by locally available ingredients.

Some other suggestions for diners are the Ae Do Spade at San Polo, open from around the 15th century and the oldest being the Cantina Do Mori dating from 1462.

Mr. Minh (According to CNN)