Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''ciccus'', meaning 'small quantity'), also sometimes spelled ''cichetti'' or called ''cicheti'' in
Venetian language
Venetian, also known as wider Venetian or Venetan ( or ), is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken natively in the northeast of Italy,Ethnologue mostly in Veneto, where most of the five million inhabitants can understand it. It is som ...
, are small
snack
A snack is a small portion of Human food, food generally Eating, eaten between meals. Snacks come in a variety of forms including Food packaging, packaged snack foods and other processed foods, as well as items made from fresh ingredients at ho ...
s or
side dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.bacari'' (pron. ''bàcari''; : ''bacaro'', pron. ''bàcaro''; ''cicchetti'' bars or '' osterie'') in
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, Italy. Common ''cicchetti'' include tiny sandwiches, plates of
olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...
s or other
vegetable
Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...
meat
Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...
and vegetable ingredients laid on top of a slice of
bread
Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
or polenta, and very small servings of typical full-course plates. Like Spanish tapas, one can also make a meal of ''cicchetti'' by ordering multiple plates. Normally not a part of home cooking, the ''cicchetti'''s importance lies not just in the food itself, but also in how, when and where they are eaten: with fingers and toothpicks, usually standing up, hanging around the counter where they are displayed in numerous bars, ''osterie'' and ''bacari'' that offer them virtually all day long. Venice's many ''cicchetti'' bars are quite active during the day, as Venetians (and tourists) typically eat ''cicchetti'' in the late morning, for lunch, or as afternoon snacks. ''Cicchetti'' are usually accompanied by a small glass of local white wine, which the locals refer to as an ''ombra'' ().
One of the most enjoyable aspects of Venetian social life is contained in the phrase "Let's go to drink a shadow" (Venetian: ''Andémo béver un'ombra''). This is an invitation to go for a drink, and more exactly a small glass of wine (a "shadow"). It is a souvenir of the period in which wines were unloaded in the " Riva degli Schiavoni" and then sold in shaded stands located at the base of the Bell Tower of Saint Mark's Cathedral; as the sun changed position, the stands were moved so they could continue to stay in the shade (''ombra'').