Whipped salt cod with olive oil and parsley, served on polenta crostini. The canonical Venetian cicchetto, on every bacaro counter from November through Easter.
Where to eat it: 5 restaurants across 1 city.
Baccala mantecato is Venice's interpretation of dried stockfish, brought back from Norway by Venetian merchant Pietro Querini after his 1432 shipwreck on the Lofoten Islands. The Venetians whip the soaked-and-cooked salt cod with olive oil into a pale emulsion (the mantecatura), the texture of a thick aioli. Served traditionally on grilled polenta crostini, it is the canonical winter cicchetto from November through Easter. Despite the name (baccala in Italian usually means salt cod), Venetians use stockfish (dried, not salted) for this dish, the legacy of the Querini trade route.
Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.
Guided tour · 2 hours
Learn to make fresh pasta like the grandmothers of Italy during a class at a cooking school inside Florence's medieval tower. Learn every step of the...
2h 30m
Discover the secrets to making authentic homemade pasta and tiramisu from a local chef. The cooking class takes place in a locally loved restaurant,...
3 hours
Roll up your sleeves and discover the flavors of Naples by making authentic pizza and creamy tiramisù with a passionate local chef. Cook, laugh, eat,...
Guided tour · 2h 30m
Experience the flavors of Venice on a guided walking tour. Visit the Rialto Market, try tapas, such as "cicchetti," and admire historical highlights...
Common allergens: Fish
Tip from the editors. Stockfish, not salt cod, is the canonical version; if you can only find salt cod, soak 24 hours and skip the salt.
Cantina Do Mori in Venice's San Polo near Rialto is the 1462-founded bacaro, with francobolli sandwiches at €1.50 to €3, the cheapest historic-bar meal.
TryFrancobolli sandwiches and ombre
TipCash only. Walk-in. Closed Sundays. The francobolli (postage-stamp-sized sandwiches) are the move; pair with ombre at €1.50.
Osteria All'Arco near Rialto in San Polo serves cicchetti at €1.50 to €4 each, the canonical bacari budget meal with francobolli sandwiches and lagoon-fish.
TryCicchetti at the bar
TipSix cicchetti plus two ombre runs roughly €20 to 25 for a full meal. Closes after lunch.
Antiche Carampane in Venice's San Polo is the 1983 family-run seafood trattoria the Rialto fishmongers send friends to, the room with the no-tourist-menu.
OrderSpaghetti with vongole, fritto misto della laguna, sarde in saor.
TipBook a fortnight ahead. Closed Sundays and Mondays. The dining room has 10 tables, so flexibility on date is more useful than time.
Vini da Gigio is lazzari family trattoria on calle stua in cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
Why locals goLazzari family trattoria on Calle Stua in Cannaregio with a 1,200-label cellar that locals book first and tourists rarely find.
TipClosed Mondays and Tuesdays. Book a week ahead. The wine cellar is the reason; ask Laura Lazzari for pairings.
Osteria alle Testiere in Castello is the 22-seat lagoon-fish bistro with two seatings per service, run by Bruno Gavagnin and Luca di Vita since 1993.
Book3 weeks ahead
More cities are in research. Want baccala mantecato covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
_in_this_pics_Baccal%C3%A0_mantecato_(Cod).jpg){kind=link}