The evolution of the Rialto Fish market in Venice- part 2
It is noteworthy to say that fish was on display as it was, the whole thing, you couln’t see any fillet. Women were able to clean and fillet all sorts of fish, and cook it the Venetian way, handed down from their mothers, and knew how to use the different parts of it. The ‘moscardini’, small pulps, were renowned for the brown and black innards you could find in the body, or you could cut out the ceeks of an ugly wide fishhead in order to prepare a delicate Risotto, a secret kept by a few fishermen only. A fish in particular was given for free after shopping: the “gò” or Lagoon Thumbfish, a small light brown fish that people could catch anywere, the Lagoon was plenty of it. The bad thing was the huge amount of bones in such a tiny body, but housewives had time enough to separate the soft white meat from the jelly bones and make one of the most typical main courses, the “Risotto coi Gò”. Today the average price for it is 13-15 E per kilo.
For sure the Venetians more rustic, and knew what hunger was from their relatives, when in the War years Venice was not supplied everyday with food. So whatever “la mama” cooked was fine, and she didn’t worry about the smell of fish throughout the apartment for days, the family would get used to it quickly.
Loris says, “the busiest day of the market was Friday, due to religious prescriptions, since Christ died on that day and therefore Christians are not allowed to eat meat. Venetians cooked “di magro” dishes, mainly seafood and vegetables. “ Vendors did their best in offering the premium fish at the market, they expected men and wifes together choosing the fish for the ‘Fritto misto’. It was common to see people queuing before the stalls and wait patiently for their turn.”
In truth fried food is not what you expect for “di magro”, being dipped in fat and served straight away. However traditions are subject to a certain modernization, so the main thing was the lack of meat on a plate. For the family the “Mixed fried seafood” was an event, the only dish served at dinner ’cause it was impossible to have more food, plates were plentiful and it was fun to clean and eat the crispy fish!