Fried sardines marinated with caramelised onions, raisins, pinenuts and white wine vinegar, served at room temperature. The canonical Venetian cicchetto.

Sarde in saor traces back to the 14th-century Venetian Republic's spice-trade preservation methods. Sailors needed a way to keep fried fish during long Mediterranean voyages; the sweet-and-sour onion-vinegar marinade pickled the fish and added the raisins and pinenuts that signalled wealth from the Levant trade routes. The dish is on every bacaro counter and every osteria carte to this day; it is to Venice what bouillabaisse is to Marseille. The 14th-century cookbook Libro per cuoco of the Anonimo Veneziano contains the earliest written recipe.

5 editor picks for Sarde in saor in Venice, ranked by editorial score. All Venice signature dishes · Sarde in saor across every city.