The cuisine of the Veneto is characterised by fresh fish and seafood in the coastal areas prepared in simple, delicious and elegant ways. Further inland more meat is eaten, and you will typically find butter used instead of olive oil. The Venetians appreciate calf's and pig's jaw and polenta, risotto with butter or sage and in some places horsemeat.
The Veneto is also full of wonderful well-reputed restaurants, which make for most enjoyable visits.
Fish and seafood: Venetian cuisine is rich in elegant fish and seafood dishes. Anglerfish is a fish, which often appears on the menu in the Veneto in all imaginable variations. Oysters and shrimps are also popular.
Meat, game and poultry: The people of the Veneto eat lots of meat. Veal, pork and lamb are among their favourites. But they also eat plenty of game including hare, which can be found in all kinds of creative variations.
The Veneto can also boast of its own breed of chicken "Gallina Padovana" which tastes more like pheasant or guinea fowl than chicken.
Sausages and ham: There are a few types of sausage that set the Veneto apart from some of the other regions in Italy because they are produced from horsemeat. These include "Bresaola di Cavallo" and "Salame e sopressa di cavallo" and produced from donkey meat "Salame d'asino". But many other delicious sausages and hams are produced from pork such as "Ossocòlo", "Prosciutto veneto berico-euganeo" and from
Vicenza "Sopressa vicentina".
Cheese: Many wonderful cheeses are produced in the Veneto made from sheep's, cow's and goat's milk. The especially good ones made from cow's milk include "Asiago stravecchio di malga" and "Morlacco del Grappa e vacca Burlina".
Wine and vineyards: We cannot do justice to the wine of the Veneto in these few lines. Who has not heard of the legendary Amarone wine or the great Valpolicella Classico? Or how about the lovely Soave accompanied by anglerfish with herbs and white wine? There is lots of scope for enjoying great wine in the Veneto.
The following are some of the Veneto's best vineyards: Romano Dal Forno, Le Ragose, Giuseppe Quintarelli, Sartori, Brunelli, Speri, Masi.
