The golden age of Venice as a Maritime Republic was the Medieval Age -instead of the Renaissance- until the end of the XVth century when the city displayed its supremacy in the Mediterranean Sea. Food was traded on a daily bases, and olive oil, grains, spices, herbs, seafood and wine was imported from Southern Italy, Asia Minor and Africa.

However some products were under the direct control of Governamental authorities, such as wine, salt and grains. It means that the importation, the production and the sale of these goods was administrated directly by Gov. Offices and in the case of wine, by the Officers of the “Giustizia Nuova”.

Throughout the Medieval Age the Venetian aristocracy purchased large areas in the countryside near Venice, but the land was uncultivated since the trade was profitable enough to keep the lifestyle of the family.

When the Portuguese Vasco de Gama circumnavigated Africa in 1498 and reached the fertile Kerala region in India, and new sea routes started to operate in the East, Venetian rulers realized that in the long run trade wouldn’t have been any more such a big source of revenue.

Therefore in 1556 a new Gov. office , the “Ministry of Uncultivated lands” ,started to support a vast project of land reclamation in the Veneto in order to reclaim the marshes and grow crops, new seeds imported from America, and eventually different sorts of grapes.

I am not saying that new grapes came from the “West Indies”, but for sure the trade increased in terms of volume and financial importance.

The Fourth Crusade in 1202-04, gave a new impulse to the importation of grapes from both the Greek Islands and the inland too, when merchants decided to export the vines and grow them along the Dalmatian coast and especially in the Istria peninsula, just opposite the Venetian Lagoon.

The soil was good, exposed to the sun and the warm winds of the Adriatic Sea, so the vineyards growing Malvasia, Moscatello Giallo, Ribolla Bianca, Pinella d’Arbe soon became part of the landscape.

And what about fishermen? First of all “they were a lot, one of the most common jobs in a city on water, despite its taughness. The population was much larger and the demand was constant, making fishermen proud of their role in society, as a vital part of the local community.”

It is important to point out the increase of the demand of fish by those who live on the mainland. Until the 60’s fish-eaters lived on the coastal areas, and in fact you can find few seafood based dishes in the Veneto culinary tradition, apart from the “Baccalà alla vicentina” (Vicenza style cod) or some fresh water fish.

An important aspect of food is the smell and the look of it. Fish is “fishy”, it stinks quickly if not fresh, it often looks ugly and is slippery at the touch. I mean, how many times you need to wash your hands to get rid of the smell of fish? Women who lived in big cities couldn’t distinguish a seabream from a trout, so it was better to ask the vendor to clean and cut the fish nicely, like a small steak.

Eventually the demand focussed on a specific range of products, such as seabass, seabreams, cuttlefish,squids, salmon, monkfish, some crustaceans, scampi and prawns.

At the same time the development of mass tourism increased the number of new Trattorias and Restaurants, while the Lagoon was heavily polluted by an uncontrolled industrial process. The lifestyle of the Venetians improved, women started to work and partly lost the culinary skills of their mothers, fish could be found in supermarkets, cut in fillets easy to cook.

Pollution contributed to lower the amount of Lagoon fish, which became more and more expensive………….. and today? What’s the current status of the market? What about the annual budget of it? How to select the good quality products? How are vendors and chefs dealing with the traditions while fulfilling the modern needs of customers?

You’d better book the “Crazy for Fish” tour to experience more! It lasts 3 hours and includes the visit at the Rialto Fish Market, along with a presentation of the Vegetyable and Fruit one. Later you’ll have the opportunity to interact with Massimo, the chef of Loris restaurant, and increase your knoledge about the Lagoon or Mediterranean seafood, the products selected on that day, how to clean, cut and prepare them in order to enhance the natural flavours. In order to fully appreciate his culinary style, after the tour you will have the chance to taste a selection of the most typical dishes, at lunch or dinnertime as you prefer.

Don’t say anything, you’ve got to try first………… we’re looking forward to meeting you!