Antonio Vivaldi at the table

In 18th-century Venice, meals did not follow the French order of starter-main-dessert. They opened with *cicheti*, small bites eaten standing at the counter or in a boat; then came the foundation of the Venetian table, rice or polenta, varied according to the season and the catch of the lagoon; fish preserved *in saor* accompanied or preceded, the fruit of the art of keeping without ice; and one closed with the festive *dolce* and coffee, which had become the social ritual of the city of cafés.

Venice, queen of the spice trade, marries melted onion, vinegar, raisins, and pine nuts in a sweet-and-sour marinade that flavors and preserves. This technique of *saor*, and the Venetian taste for cinnamon and sugar from the Levant, define the cuisine of the Serenissima in Vivaldi's time.