Venetian Cicchetti: The Bar Bite Democracy

Cicchetti are the small bites of the Venetian bacaro, the traditional wine bar of Venice, where they are set out on the counter, taken on toothpicks or served on small plates beside an ombra, a small glass of wine. A round of several bacari, the giro di ombre, with two or three cicchetti and a glass at each, is taken standing at the counter in conversation and stands in for a seated meal.

Cicchetti are the small bites of the Venetian bacaro, set out along the counter and eaten standing beside an ombra of wine. The range changes from bar to bar, but a core is constant: baccalà mantecato, the salt cod (Gadus morhua) whipped with olive oil into a white cream and spread on polenta or toasted bread; and sarde in saor, fried sardines (Sardina pilchardus) laid under onions softened in vinegar with raisins and pine nuts. Polpette, small fried balls of meat or fish, stand beside tramezzini, triangular crustless sandwiches of soft white bread. Crostini carry artichoke, baccalà or liver pâté, and boiled octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is dressed with olive oil and lemon. The moeche, the green crab (Carcinus aestuarii) of the lagoon, is fried whole in the brief window after it has shed its shell.

Cicchetti are taken with an ombra, a small glass of local wine, most often a dry, lightly sparkling or crisp white, and the glass is small so that it can be renewed at each bar. The structure is one of contrast: acidity and effervescence cut the fried bites, the oil of baccalà and the sweetness of sarde in saor, and clear the palate for the next one. Polenta, soft bread and onion give the salty, fatty toppings a neutral and gentle ground.