DINING WITH DOGES AND DIGNITARIES: Cuisine of Rococo Venice
The magical city of Venice, created on sand spits and marshland within a vast seaside lagoon, remained isolated from the mainland and reachable only by boat from its 6th century inception up into the 19th century. Its industrious founders, descendants of Roman colonists and local veneti, created an island haven safe from foreign invaders and developed it over time into a place of unique beauty, artistry and power. Initially part of the Byzantine Empire, Venice became its own republic in 697 and was governed by a succession of 120 doges before falling to Napoleon’s France in 1797, an astounding 1,100 years of unabated independence.
Much of Venice’s illustrious history revolves around food and its procurement. Most essential items needed to be brought into Venice by boat resulting in a maritime population adept at creating and acquiring goods for trade and sustenance as well as building the vessels with which to do so. The height of Venice’s power was from the 12th to the 15th century when she ruled the seas and dominated the trade routes between Europe and Asia, developing a cuisine renowned for its fusion of unique local ingredients and exotic foreign flavors. The lucrative trade in luxury goods and spices gave the city immense wealth.
Art follows money, and Venetians turned their profits into magnificent buildings and possessions as industrious artists rose to the occasion of serving the city’s needs. Luxurious palazzi sprang up along the Grand Canal, adorned with glass chandeliers, paned windows and decorative objects from the nearby island of Murano while churches built to ward off the plague were filled with images of protective saints commissioned by wealthy patrons. Panel paintings and frescoes evolved into life-sized images in oil paint on canvas, absorbing the emerging stylistic trend of figurative realism and characterized by a particularly sensual use of color.
By the 16th century new trade routes had opened as other nations reached Asia to break into Venice’s stronghold on trade, flooding European markets with foreign goods from new suppliers and causing prices to plummet. This also led to the arrival of New World foods previously unknown in Europe that would soon alter the Old World’s diet. Venetians turned to their own mainland to expand agricultural productivity and extend their lifestyle of creative work and lavish entertaining into luxurious villas in the vast Veneto countryside.
The next century’s culinary evolution brought this new assortment of foreign ingredients into the local diet, such as coffee from the Middle East, rice from Asia, and chocolate, vanilla, corn, tomatoes and beans from the Americas. Many of these products were proven to grow well in the Veneto and became new staples in the area’s noteworthy cuisine.
The stage was set for the Republic of Venice’s final hurrah, the 18th century, during the artistic period known as Rococo. No longer Queen of the Seas, no longer Europe’s economic powerhouse or primary artistic trendsetter, Venice was still a unique city of exquisite beauty where luxury and greatness were so ingrained in its inhabitants that they seamlessly carried on in its display. Venice by now had become the go-to destination for international travelers and pleasure-seekers – including the so-called Grand Tourists, young north European noblemen heading south to visit historical sites in Italy for their education and enlightenment. They were particularly drawn to Venice, this rich cultural playground of unequalled art, music, literature, theater, dining and pageantry, all enjoyed in an enchanting setting. Local artists and artisans found their output snatched up by this new wave of visitors seeking souvenirs and responded by upping their productivity to meet the demand. Glass from Murano, lace from Burano, confections from Venetian pastry shops, and paintings showing the marvelous light and color of the lagoon city found their way into the travel bags of tourists eager to share (and boast of) their experiences with those left behind.
The menu that follows in our exploration of 18th century Venetian cuisine includes some dishes that may well have graced a banquet table and others that would have been enjoyed during some of the many yearly festivals celebrated in Venice. Small, crusty bread rolls are common on a Venetian table to sop up whatever juicy bites are not paired with the polenta, and local wines are generally light and varied. If the wine server is absent, do as the Venetians do today; make sure there are glass carafes of Prosecco, a light sparkling wine from the hills of the Veneto, dispersed about the table so diners may serve themselves throughout the meal.
