Carnival sweets falls right between the excesses of Christmas and the delicacies of Easter. You know what’s funny, in this time of minutely regulated diets, intolerances, and health obsession of every kind, the traditional Venetian fried sweets never ceded an inch. The early modern era Guild of Deep Friers – because of course there was one – defined the fritola, the Venetian fritter or beignet, as a treat for rich and commoner alike. These cooks taught the art and left the business to their children (the guild would nominate a successor if there was no heir apparent) and each was assigned a precinct in town. They were forbidden to raise their voice in peddling their food, so much we know from history.
There’s more: the first mention of fried food dates back to even earlier, back to the late Middle Ages, around the year 1300. Marco Polo was alive at that time. The dough used to be worked by hand on a flat surface, and it seems that Venice was the first European city to use sugar. Until that time, honey was the sweetener of choice. Sugar cane was, in fact, grown in Cyprus, where Venice had colonies.

Here are some suggestions where you can enjoy some Carnival sweets worthy of note, at least in our opinion.