My favorite edible Venetian souvenirs
A list of delicious treasures (and where to find them) to bring home from Venice
My post about packable Roman souvenirs was so popular I thought that I would create a similar list for you to use in Venice. This list will only cover edible things. 1 Most of them are carry-on friendly.
You probably know that pasta shapes vary wildly by region. Here in Venice, the shape you are most likely to see is Bigoli. It is a thick long pasta that can be both fresh (If you go to Paradiso Perduto in Canareggio look for the machine in the window,) or dried. The Borella brand packaging is fab. I always have a few blue paper-wrapped rolls in my pantry.
Venetians eat as much polenta as they do pasta. You will see it on a few different forms like cichetti served on firm slices and a creamy slurry topped with tiny shrimp. You can buy it ready-to-serve in plastic-wrapped rolls or the dried version in boxes.
In bakery windows, you will see two types of traditional cookies, bussolà, or bussolai and esse (named for the S shape of the grand canal.) Originally from the island of Burano, they are crunchy and rich and buttery and they are delicious dipped into sweet wine for dessert. Baicoli is a typical Venetian cookie/biscuit. It is twice baked like the better know biscotti. Their name also comes from their shape, said to be like a sea bass which in the local dialect is called baicoli. You can find them in boxes in any grocery store or in decorated tins in smaller gourmet shops.
The lagoon island of Pellestrina makes a version that is not sweet. It is like a baked grissini breadstick that is folded into a long O. Look for bags of Bussolai di Pellestrina in the grocery store.
