In the enchanting Burano Island, we discover the ‘bussolà’, the Venetian Easter cookies
Text and photos © Cesare Zucca
Burano, the “pearl” of the Venice Lagoon famous for its wonderful lace and its colorful houses, among which Casa di Bepi, the most colorful on the island, the Campanile storto, the three bridges (selfie a must!) connecting three canals and the most pictures que streets of Burano (Via Giudecca, Via San Mauro and Via San Martino Sinistro), full of craft shops, typical restaurants.
Piazza Galuppi, the only square on the island, populated by restaurants and souvenir shops, stands the Lace Museum, once home to the famous Lace School. A gallery with over two hundred rare and precious examples of the evolution of the art of lace in Venice from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.
During the museum’s opening hours (closed at the moment, we hope it will reopen as soon as possible) it will be possible to see the skilled and tireless master lace makers at work, still today the custodians of an art handed down from generation to generation.
Where to eat (when they reopen, hopefully soon because all these restaurants are great …)Trattoria Il Gatto Nero Historic restaurant, Lagoon specialties, superlative cuisine, fish dishes … heavenly! Under the banner of an iconic family management, since 1965 Ruggero Bovo and his son Massimiliano represent the top of tradition and quality.
Osteria al MuseoA long time ago it was a lace shop and a couple of years ago it has become a point of renewal of the tradition and taste of Venetian cuisine. Sipping a spectacular ‘White Peach Bellini’. I meet Chef Antonio Santaniello, famous for his Il “risotto di go”, made with poor fish with a low commercial value, according to the ‘no waste’ policy where nothing is wasted, including those parts that are usually thrown away .
… e “dulcis in fundo” …finally… i bussolà!
It was a typical custom of Burano that the ladies, a few days before Easter, went to public ovens to bake the dough for the Easter bussolà, to be divided into the family and kept for the whole year. The birth of these sweets dates back to a couple of centuries ago, in the past they were baked in the homes of the islanders, especially for Easter.
The cookies were wrapped in linen to allow them to release the unmistakable aroma of butter and were a delicacy for the family and a reserve of energy for fishermen who spent long periods at sea. The tradition continues and, after many years, both the care and the love that are put into the production of each individual biscuit have remained unchanged.
Let’s meet “Bussolà Queen” Carmelina Palmisano, la regina dei bussolà.
“Bussolà Queen” Carmelina Palmisano, is the most famous pastry chef on the island and she really made us luck with the cookies. In Jesolo he has a small factory, but the large ones (in the original size 20cm in diameter) still bake them in the laboratory behind her shop,
A great wine to pair with? I chose the sparkling wine Fior d’Arancio Spumante Docg, http://www.ilpianzio.it/the Moscato Giallo of the Euganean Hills with aromas of orange blossom, sage and apricot, with a low alcohol content (about 6 degrees), perfect with anniversary desserts, from the classic Easter coloba to traditional homemade cookies. This wine is made from yellow muscat grapes which, on the slopes of the Euganean Hills, have encountered an ideal environment to express their maximum fragrance and aromaticity.
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