Cicchetti
I love to share some of my favourite cuisines from travelling and vacations. We recently celebrated our 25th anniversary and explored Venice and the breathtaking Croatian coast. One of my favorite Venetian traditions that we enjoyed is called the Cicchetti.
Cicchetti (also sometimes spelled “cichetti” or called “cicheti” in Venetian language) are small snacks or side dishes, typically served in traditional “bàcari” (cicchetti bars or osterie) in Venice, Italy.
Common cicchetti include tiny sandwiches, plates of olives or other vegetables, halved hard boiled eggs, small servings of a combination of one or more of seafood, meat and vegetable ingredients laid on top of a slice of bread or polenta, and very small servings of typical full-course plates. Like Spanish tapas, one can also make a meal of it by ordering multiple plates.
Normally not a part of home cooking, its importance lies not just in the food itself, but also in how, when and where they are eaten: with fingers and toothpicks, usually standing up, hanging around the counter where they are displayed in numerous bars, osterie and bacari that offer them virtually all day long.
Venice’s many cicchetti bars are quite active during the day, as Venetians (and tourists) typically eat cicchetti in the late morning, for lunch, or as afternoon snacks, often accompanied by a small glass of local white wine, which the locals refer to as an “ombra” (shadow).
Delizioso!
Reference: Wikipedia
Image sources: Trip Advisor, Comewme.com
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