By: Lia Contesso
Submitted: 2011-02-18 05:26:39 | Word Count: 484
There are many typical cakes in Venice, indeed, which are appreciated both by children and by adults. Carnival is near and you can get there with your funny mask or completely disguise yourself and enjoy the parties or lost yourself in the little streets.
If you are here during the Carnival time you have to taste the inimitable cakes. Among the most famous and representative cakes of the lagoon city, the pastries that are made during carnival deserve a special mention. Venice Carnival, famous all over the world and considered as one of the most fascinating carnivals on earth, is one of the main events in Venice, and to celebrate it properly, Venetian confectioners (and housewives too) always make some traditional cakes, like “fritoe”, called also in Italian frittelle, and “galani”, which are also called “crostoli”.
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Fritoe and galani are ancient cakes, which are part of the history of the Republic of Venice: fritoe, in particular, have been considered as the national cake of the Serenissima for a long time, and in the past they were made exclusively by “fritoleri”, who even gave birth to a corporation which was active from the 17th century until the end of the Republic. You can taste these fantastic cakes in many different places in Venice, the so called Bettole (a kind of bar where a lot of venetians get in order to have some food and a glass wine of course), these clubs are situated in all the centre of Venice and also in the islands like Murano, Burano and Torcello. Fritoe are fritters made with eggs, flour, sugar, raisins and pine nuts, fried in oil and sprinkled with sugar, and are widespread in the whole Venetian region. Galani, another typical carnival cake, are likely to be even more ancient than fritoe, and can be described as very thin and crumbly rectangles of pastry. You can find many kinds of these cakes, with other creams inside like chocolate and vanilla and other delicious things.
Among the typical Venetian cakes that we can eat throughout the year we cannot help mentioning “baicoli”, i.e. the most famous cookies in Venice. Thin, crisp and not too sweet, they are perfect with tea and hot chocolate, but also accompanied by a glass of sweet wine, and are now widespread all over the world. Last but not least, other traditional cakes are “zaeti” (poor cooking little cakes made with cornmeal), and “franfraniche”, i.e. caramel on stick. So if you have not yet visited this wonderful city, consider the offers for the Carnival and enjoy your holiday and the food, and in the spring time you can definitely fall in love with Venice!
Author Resource:- This article was written by Elena Tondello, with support from st marks venice.
