Sarde in Saor Veneziano — Venetian Sweet-Sour Marinated Sardines

Venice — sarde in saor is documented in Venetian sources from the 14th century as a preservation technique for fried fish. The Arabic sweet-sour-spice preparation arrived in Venice through the spice trade and was naturalised into the Venetian cucina as saor. It is now the emblematic cicchetto of the Venetian bacaro (bar).

Sarde in saor is the definitive Venetian cicchetto (bar snack) and one of the great preparations of the Italian agrodolce tradition — fresh sardines fried in olive oil, then marinated in a sauce of slow-cooked onions (white and sweet), white wine vinegar, pine nuts, raisins, and sometimes a piece of cinnamon. The preparation requires 24-48 hours of marinating before eating — the sardines absorb the sweet-sour-aromatic sauce during this period and become something quite different from freshly fried fish. The preparation is ancient (14th century Venice documents it as a way of preserving fried fish for sailors) and reflects the influence of the Arab-Byzantine spice trade through the Venetian Republic.

Sarde in saor after 48 hours of marinating are one of the most complex cold fish preparations in Italian cooking — the sardine flesh has absorbed the sweet-sour onion sauce; the raisins have plumped in the vinegar; the pine nuts add crunch; the cinnamon (if present) adds a warm, slightly exotic note from Venice's spice trade past. At room temperature on crostini, it is the Venetian bacaro at its best.