Veneto owes its traditional cuisine to the Republic of Venice and the variety of products that its trade helped spread across the territory. The most common and famous ingredients in traditional Venetian cuisine are rice, polenta, baccalà (salt cod), and beans. The cuisine is tailored to the region’s territory, ideally divided into three bands: the coastal and lagoon area, linked to fresh and saltwater fish and seafood; the plains, mainly using cereals and vegetables; and the mountainous area, related to dairy activity.

Appetizers of Veneto’s Regional Cuisine

Among the appetizers are Sarde in saor (fried sardines with onion, seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and accompanied by pine nuts and raisins), boiled granseola (spider crab), and numerous cured meats, including Prosciutto Veneto-Euganeo DOP and Soprèssa Vicentina DOP. Polenta, boiled cornmeal cream, is the ingredient that most characterizes Venetian cuisine. It accompanies dishes, in many cases replacing bread or pasta. Its origin dates back to the 16th century when maize arrived in Europe from overseas, which people called “turkey grain.”

First Courses of Veneto’s Regional Cuisine

Alongside polenta, Rice, whose presence in regional cuisine dates back to Venice’s trade with the Far East before its cultivation spread in the region. Rice is accompanied by a great variety of vegetables, as well as mushrooms, mollusks, cured meats, and meats, to give first courses like Risi e bisi (rice boiled with peas with pancetta), to try paired with a Soave Classico DOC, Rice with garlic and onion, and minestra di Risi e verze (rice and cabbage soup with sausage), which can be paired with a light red wine, like a Tai Rosso dei Colli Berici DOC, risotto with bruscandoli (wild hop sprouts), risotto with red radicchio, Risotto all’Amarone, to pair with a Valpolicella Superiore DOC, and many others. Bigoli (thick egg spaghetti) replace durum wheat spaghetti and are prepared with sugo all’Arna (duck sauce) to try paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Breganze, with Sardea (sardine) or Luganega (sausage). Among the soups, remember Pasta e fasoi and Sopa coada, a pigeon meat pie with bread soaked in broth obtained from the pigeon bones themselves, which can be paired with a robust and tannic red wine, like a Piave Malanotte DOCG or a Rosso del Montello DOCG. Cansunziei, an Ampezzo dish, are ravioli filled with pumpkin or spinach and cooked ham or chard, served with melted butter or smoked ricotta, whose perfect pairing is not with a Veneto wine, but rather with a Gewürztraminer from Alto Adige.

Second Courses of Veneto’s Regional Cuisine

Among the second courses, accompanied by the inevitable polenta, are Baccalà alla Vicentina (with oil, milk, garlic, anchovies, and onions), to try traditionally paired with a Vespaiolo di Breganze DOC, or alternatively with a classic method sparkling wine like Lessini Durello DOC, or a light and low-tannin red like Tai Rosso dei Colli Berici DOC, and Seppie al tegame, paired with a Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC. Among the meat dishes, Faraona in tecia (in a pan), paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon dei Colli Euganei DOC, Fegato alla Veneziana (with onions, oil, butter, salt, and parsley), to try with a Valpolicella Ripasso DOC, Torresani (pigeons) on the spit, with a Merlot di Breganze DOC and Pastissada de caval (horse stew) from Verona, with an Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG. Among the vegetables, important are Radicchio di Treviso and Radicchio di Verona, both IGP, and white Asparagus of Bassano DOP, served boiled accompanied by boiled and chopped eggs and traditionally paired with a Breganze Vespaiolo DOC.

Desserts of Veneto’s Regional Cuisine

Among the desserts, Pandoro di Verona, to be paired with a Recioto di Gambellara sparkling DOCG; Fritòle (fritters), Galani (fried sweet pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar), Baicoli (thin, dry biscuits from Venice), and Zalèti (cornmeal and raisin cookies), with a Torcolato di Breganze DOC. These desserts highlight the variety and richness of Veneto’s culinary tradition, blending local ingredients with recipes handed down through generations.