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Background

So what is Risi e Bisi, and why on earth would I be searching for it? Well, according to every Venetian cookbook that I own, (and I have a boatload), Risi e Bisi is an iconic Venetian dish.  It’s a simple rice dish made with broth, risotto rice, fresh spring peas, and maybe a little pancetta. You hear about it everywhere – in travel guides, cookbooks (in English & Italian), food magazines, blogs, cooking shows, you name it. It’s important, I tell you, it’s everywhere… Except, well, in Venice.

I’ve been to Venice many times over the last 15 years. Incredibly, I now have family there and a free place to stay, so I go even more. You know what I’ve never seen on any restaurant menu, even at the height of spring? Risi e Bisi! I didn’t really notice it at first but then it struck me one day a few of years ago. It was never on offer in either simple eateries or fancy restaurants. Even though I’ve been making it at home for years, I was eager to sample it in Venice. I adore trying traditional dishes in their place of origin, especially ones like Risi e Bisi that I’ve been reading about for years.  It’s a kind of bucket list thing for foodie dorks like me. Maybe I’m alone on this one…

The search for Risi e Bisi starts in earnest

Doing some reading, I learned that April 25th was historically a day to serve the dish as the city celebrates their patron saint, St. Mark. Even the Doge (the ruler of Venice) would eat Risi e Bisi to start the celebratory meal. I thought, maybe I had had it all wrong – it’s not an everyday dish, just a special holiday thing like Thanksgiving turkey.  So when I recently noticed that my daughter had no school that day due to it being Liberation Day in Italy, (marking the end of the fascist regime and Nazi occupation), my family and I decided to go on a special Risi e Bisi expedition! Now was my chance…

The day of the celebration

After a little planning with my brother-in-law who rents an apartment in Venice, we decided to go to a restaurant called Osteria alle Testiere, mentioned in a new Venetian cookbook called Venice: Four Seasons of Home Cooking by Russell Norman. I’d heard about Testiere from other sources and it was supposed to be good. In his book, Mr. Norman mentions eating the dish there, so we thought it would be perfect. My brother even confirmed when booking that they would have it. Great. As it turned out upon arrival, they would not be serving the dish, nor do they ever… Seriously?! This is the day and yet – no Risi e Bisi on the menu…

Even though they were kind enough to offer to prepare the dish for us, we didn’t want to put them out, so ate fish instead. (There might have been a linguistic issue involved as my brother-in-law is still learning Italian.) Although not a hardship, it was all so puzzling. Funnily enough, about halfway through our meal, who should show up but Russell Norman himself! We chatted quite a bit (he was very kind to let me interrupt his meal repeatedly…) and he told me they had made the dish for him last year upon special request. Interesting. This dish is distinctly Venetian, special on that holiday and yet it’s still hard to find.

The hunt continues

So, after a lovely chat and meal, we went about our day, looking at menus, grilling vendors, restauranteurs, shop keepers and local citizens about the dish. These were the kind of responses we got:

• • “It’s a peasant dish, no one serves it in restaurants.”
  • “Traditions are dying.”
  • “Pea season is in full swing in May.” (Yet I haven’t seen it in May either.)
  • “It’s a dish prepared during Carneval.” (Not true, as peas aren’t in season yet.)
  • “The tradition of serving it on the 25th has been overshadowed by Liberation Day celebrations.”
  • “I have no idea why no one prepares it in restaurants.”
  • “People generally make in the home.”
  • “It’s too simple to serve in a restaurant.”
  • “It is too much work to do it right in a restaurant.”
  • “Why don’t you just make it at home, you take some onion, some peas…”

Inconclusive

As you can see, I didn’t find a clear answer. It seems strange that this delightful, elegant dish would be deemed too much of a peasant dish to serve considering the simple food you seen on display in every town in the country! Maybe Risi e Bisi is simply out of fashion or maybe pea season is too short? Who can say?

We did have some luck at dinner time when a restaurant offered to make it for us on Sunday. It seems like you either need to request it or prepare it yourself. The people we spoke to did seem to make Risi e Bisi at home.

If you find yourself in Venice on April 25th, you will have a nice time anyway as there are local and national celebrations happening on the same day. Besides the Liberation Day holiday, they have their celebrations for St. Mark and another tradition where the men of the city give their sweethearts a rose (Festa del Bòcolo).

In The Search for Risi e Bisi, Part 2, I’ll let you know how our meal was and will include a recipe so that you can make it yourselves before all of the spring peas go away!