Mark Kurlansky once said, “Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.” Italians are known for their love of food and the significance that it has on their culture. Venice is no exception to these stereotypes, and in a way, has a particularly noteworthy relationship with its cuisine. Buzard writes about culture by saying, “‘Culture’, then, shuttles between two frames of reference: aesthetic objects and their role in personal acculturation, on the one hand, and the anthropological sense of a group’s ‘whole way of life’ on the other” (The Beaten Track, 7). The culture discussed in this paper is the latter definition that Buzard gives. It can therefore be said that the food within the Veneto region is more than merely simple nourishment; rather, it is a culmination of the history and culture of the land.
When traveling to Venice it is easy to become caught up in the hustle and bustle as tourists visit art museums, shops, churches, and Piazza San Marco. Everyone moves about trying to see everything and to experience the “authentic” culture of a place that is so unique. They come with the desire to experience the past and to celebrate the arts. While everyone will make time to eat, most visitors will gravitate towards a pizzeria or perhaps a ristorante filled with traditional pastas. It is a rare occurrence that a tourist will take time to settle into a family run osteria to enjoy a hearty bowl of risotto cooked in cuttlefish ink. It is really a pity, because tourists often miss the very authenticity available to them right at their fingertips.
Buzard defines an authentic experience as an experience which contains the following: stillness, non-utility, saturation, and picturesqueness. He continues further to describe saturation by saying, “The setting best rewarding travelers is so densely ‘saturated’ in historical and emotional significance that each step of the ground seems able to evoke the most powerful feelings; when ‘truly sensitive’ travelers stand upon this ground, they feel to the fullest extent of their capacity” (The Beaten Track, 185). In the same way that each step can suggest a powerful feeling, so too can each bite of food. By looking deeper into the historical and emotional significance of common Venetian cuisine, a tourist more fully appreciates the city.
Food content and preparation can be a distinguishing factor in nearly every region and country, but for Italy, food is thought to be the essence of the entire country. Americans are known for their greasy cheeseburgers, the Spanish are known for tapas and paella, and Germans are known for their wiener schnitzel and sausages. Food is the common thread which bundles together different personalities and lifestyles all within the same land borders.
The idea of food as a representation of the culture is much stronger in Italy than in other countries. The myths that surround this subject are immense in number and cover nearly every aspect of food. Some of the most common beliefs are that Italians cook with their heart, center social interactions around food, and eat better than any other group of people in the world. The Italian food culture is by far one of the most discussed in the World. These speculations involving the food of Italy lure travelers in, but are the tourists truly partaking in the culinary experience or are they merely experiencing the taste of Italian food?
Venice is one of the most strikingly unique places in the entire world, and its food has a certain unique flair of its own. As a way to study this relationship between food and culture, I have analyzed some of the most traditional foods of the Veneto region to find the deeper cultural meanings within them. This paper summarizes the conclusions which I have drawn from my raw data after scrutinizing recipes and interviewing local Italians about particular cultural rules associated with food. It focuses on the idea of food as a link to the past, to other cultures, to social gatherings, and to holidays and festivals.
Cicchetti (hors d’oevres): Influence of Water on Culinary Choice
To understand the current culinary practices we need to look into the past influences. The unique geographical makeup of Venice is highly responsible for its current choices and flavors of food. Margaret Plant writes, “Not many cities exist in such a singular marine and coastal terrain, between sea and swampland. As many have observed, the very singularity of the site is crucial to the 'myth' of a Venice wedded to the sea, and so on” (Venice Fragile City, 429). The idea of Venice being wedded to the sea can be seen through the food that is served in homes and restaurants.
Venice is both liberated and controlled by its surrounding waters. The water which envelops these islands influences the access to necesities of their inhabitance. The structure, food, and protection all symbolically, and in some cases physically, emerge out of the vast expanse of the lagoon.
Water serves as a border separating these islands from the mainland. This provides a sense of protection as it has in the past during wars while also providing a sense of freedom from the constraints of the mainland. One of the greatest myths of Venice is the idea that Venice is an escape from reality, which is why the tourism industry is enormous within the city. “Tourism is a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organized work” (Urry, Consuming Places, 132). Venice is viewed as a place where the culture allows for liberation. Byron and Casanova help to enforce a myth that Venice is a permanent Carnivale where sexual experiences and other behaviors which contradict the norms of other societies are accepted.
Water gives the Venetians food and helps them to be independent of other cities. It also allows for trade which has provided economic stability. Nearly every aspect of the Venetian lifestyle is enhanced and aided by the water which surrounds the citizens.
On the other hand, the water constricts the lives of Venetians. “The history of Venice's water supply is further proof of the difficult conditions of daily life in the city. All cities in the ancient régime suffered from an insufficient supply of drinking water, but in Venice scarcity could become dramatic because water was omnipresent but not drinkable”. (Elisabeth Crouzet-Pavan, Venice Triumphant, 14-15). As Crouzet-Pavan suggests, drinking water was one restriction placed on Venice by it’s location amidst the salt-water filled lagoon and sea, but it was far from being the sole problem. The water created problems with construction and development of the city as a whole, and still today leads to acqua alta which causes damage in buildings. This city which was literally erected out of the water is today sinking and, in a way, returning to the lagoon. The structural supports are no longer able to fully sustain these structures without solid ground underneath them.
Being a series of islands surrounded by a lagoon as well as the Adriatic Sea, it is no surprise that seafood is popular in the Veneto region. Walking along the street it is ordinary to pass multiple fish markets or windows with fresh seafood on ice. Quite possibly the freshest seafood in the world can be found within the streets of Venice. Seafood is the most common characteristic shared amongst traditional Venetian foods. It is common within the cicchetti corso, the primo corso, and the secondo corso. The abundance of seafood is due in part to the economic stability it provides the region, but the link between seafood and Venice does not stop with the money, in fact, it is a greater reflection of Venice’s relationship with the sea.
Primo Corso: Influences from Around the World
At its prime, Venice was one of the most prolific trade centers in the world. Because of its central location and ease of access to water ways, it was the meeting point between the East and the West. “[Venice’s] empire reached from the Alps, through the cities, towns, and villages of northeastern Italy, across the Adriatic to Istria, Dalmatia, Corfu, Crete, and Cyprus. A maritime power, Venice served as an entrepôt for trade between Europe and the Middle East, and as early as the thirteenth century its merchants (possibly including Marco Polo) traveled as far as India and China” (Martin and Romano, Venice Reconsidered, 1). As a result of the trades, Venice became a blend of the Eastern and Western cultures. Some of the most remarkable examples of this can be seen within the architecture throughout Venice. In Campo San Silvestre alone, the buildings are representative of different styles of architecture including several Gothic examples as well as quatrefoil openings representative of the East. While a tourist may be able to see the influences more visually in the architecture, the authentic Venetian food is equally as representative of this blend of cultures.
By looking through Venetian recipes, see appendix B, it is possible to notice the mixture of spices influenced from all areas of the world. “Marco Polo established Venice as the most important spice trading post, making the region extremely wealthy” (Gary Erb, www.helium.com). With the prices soaring, it was difficult for other countries to obtain these spices. As a result of obtaining this monopoly, Venice had a plentiful amount of spices and they became common within their cooking. One of the most common Venetian spices is called anise and is often used in holiday cookies. It was not until the Portuguese explorer, Vasco De Gama, discovered a new route directly to India, that Venice lost its control over the spice trade.
Spices are not the only aspect of Italian cuisine that was influenced by the trade center. One dish very close to the heart of Venice is baccalà. This is a salted cod which is used in many recipes, see appendix B. Baccalà has its roots in Portugal, but was brought to Venice through the Baltic trade routes. It is a prime example of the influence of other cultures within Venice. It is generally served on bread or as a dip. It can be found in nearly every restaurant as either a meal (often served with polenta) or, more commonly, as an appetizer. It is a food that many tourists have tried, but have not appreciated it beyond its incredible taste.
Secondo Corso: The Social Aspect of Food
It is never just about the food itself; the circumstances in which food is consumed are equally as important to understanding the cultural ties connected to the cuisine of a place. In Venice, there are very particular traditions and customs associated with food environments. The behavior at a coffee shop and the behavior at a ristorante are drastically different and aim to produce different atmospheres. One common belief regarding Italian food is that all shared meals involve large family gatherings with hearty plates of pasta and enough bread to feed an army. While an average Venetian may experience this occasionally, it is more common that they will spend a few minutes in a coffee shop or enjoy a meal with friends at a trattoria.
The coffee bar is an interesting experience in Italy. As with most places, there is the option to sit down ,for a fee, or stand at the bar. Regardless of the choice, the staff is usually very friendly to the regular customers and will oftentimes even remember their drink order. This is a space where local Italians chat with other locals in the morning, for just a few minutes, while grabbing a hot espresso for breakfast. The staff does not encourage people to leave, and it is a place filled with conversation. If one pays for a table, he or she is expected to stay for a lengthy amount of time and enjoy the company of others or enjoy the space to use as they please.
At a trattoria or ristorante, the atmosphere is very different but still centers around this idea of social interactions. The meal will usually last several hours and is generally spent sharing quality time with friends and family. Small differences, such as allowing sufficient time between courses and not bringing the bill until it is requested, encourage a lengthy stay. There is no pressure put on the guests by the staff at the establishment, and the meal is always more about the company than the food itself.
Food in Italy, when shared together by groups of people, is a way to bring about conversations and social gatherings. Geertz writes, “A cockfight is what, searching for a name for something not vertebrate enough to be called a group and not structureless enough to be called a crowd, Erving Goffman has called a ‘focused gathering’—a set of persons engrossed in a common flow of activity and relating to one another in terms of that flow” (Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight, 5). The same can be said about a social sharing of food. No matter which situation the Venetians choose, the flow of sharing food is less directed towards the taste and more towards the conversation and good company. There is no better way to get to know Italians, than by sharing a good conversation over a delicious meal.
Dolce: Holidays and Food
Another way to become saturated in the culture is by partaking in traditional festivals and holidays. In Venice, many of the most common dessert recipes are associated with the celebrations held throughout the city each year. Whether it is La Festa della Salute, Carnivale, or la Natale, the Venetians celebrate with special desserts. For a list of traditional festival and holiday recipes see Appendix C.
Many tourists come to Venice during February to experience Carnival, but often overlook the aspect of food. In his memoirs, Casanova writes, “It was during the Carnival of 1745, after midnight; we were, all the eight of us, rambling about together with our masks on, in quest of some new sort of mischief to amuse us.” His description of Carnival is perfectly aligned with the myth of Venice. This idea of liberation and sexual debauchery is what brings most tourists to the lagoon, not the delicious foods.
These foods, however, are an experience in themselves that tourists should treasure. They fill the streets during festivals and are only served at certain times during the year. It is often a piece of the experience which is overlooked. Particularly for Carnival, the traditional Venetian food is fritters which are called “frappe” in the Veneto region. The interesting thing about these fritters is that they can be found all across Italy during the Carnival period. They are believed to have originated when Italy was under the Roman rule and have since remained popular but taken different names in each region. For example, in Sicily they are referred to as “gigi” and in Tuscany they are called “donzelli”. The traditions of Carnival have changed drastically over the past centuries. They have become more conducive to tourism throughout the years, but the food has remained constant and is therefore a link to the past. “Nowadays many traditions are vanished and changed, but fried pastries are still the protagonist of the Fat Tuesday cookery” (http://www.annamariavolpi.com/issue33.html).
Conclusion
Arbit Blatas writes, “The surface of Venice is constantly metamorphosing and painting Venice is almost like being a restorer, peeling off the layers to find the picture after picture underneath.” Just as painting Venice requires peeling off layers, so too does understanding a traditional Venetian meal. Every aspect of the foods, from the creation to the consumption, is connected to a deeper part of the true Venetian culture that cannot at first glance be seen.
Rojek and Urry discuss the sense of smell in their work, Touring Cultures. They speak of this phenomenon that tourists tend to avoid areas where less then favorable odors linger. Hotels and tourist centered businesses tend to go above and beyond to have pleasing aromas in order to attract the business of travelers (Touring Cultures, 8). The truth is that those who live in and around these tourist-centered areas tend to be much less aware of these so-called odors. The reason they become a topic of discussion amongst tourists is because they are different then those smells which surround them in their familiar environments. Therefore, they find it hard to appreciate them. The same can be said for foods. The squid ink may never be savored because it does not seem appealing, but to a true Venetian it is thoroughly enjoyed. It represents the feeling of the small osteria, the importance of seafood to Venice, and the laid-back and social atmosphere in which it is savored.
The same can be said for any food. They all represent something greater then themselves. Whether it is the link to another country, to the past, to friends and family, or to a city festival, they all inspire emotions and the essence of a culture. Throughout my stay in Venice, I have been fortunate enough to delve deeper into the culture through experiencing traditional foods. It has allowed me to awaken my senses to an abundance of culture specific to Venice and to venture further than the simple Italian pizza. Just as I have appreciated the quiet calli throughout the city, as opposed to the Basilica di San Marco which most tourists flock to, I have settled into the heart of Venice in the osterias and trattorias.
The food which represents many aspects of culture is like a stem and, when fully given the opportunity to support and nurture, it will allow a mind to blossom into greater knowledge, appreciation, and saturation of a culture. It will give that person the authenticity for which they long.
Appendix A: Seafood Recipes
Appendix B: Recipes with Influences from Other Cultures
Appendix C: Festival and Holiday Recipes
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