Wine and Food: let's make a toast together with Andrea Corletto
In 2010 - the original recipe was filed, claiming that tiramisù hails from here
The Dante Alighieri Society, that promotes Italian culture and language around the world, has established a ranking of the world’s most famous words. Unsurprisingly, in the first places we find the words pizza, cappuccino, spaghetti and espresso. What surprises is the second place, where -together with mozzarella - comes the word tiramisù, better pronounced “tiramesù”, due to its venetian origin (from Treviso). After years of debates, we have finally discovered the exact origin of this delicious dessert: the restaurant Le Beccherie, located in Treviso’s city center.
Discover the restaurant: www.lebeccherie.it
Andrea Corletto, 35 years old, is the new restaurant’s owner: «Five years ago we took over from the Campeol’s family, who has run the restaurant since 1935. This is the only historic restaurant of Treviso and the city’s residents are very much fond of it. At the beginning it wasn’t easy, we had to give continuity to the kitchen’s main dishes: the tartare beaten with a knife, the stew, and the fillet cooked on soapstone. Then we gradually took off the traditional dishes. We have lost many clients, but have acquired many others. We got rid of the elephant ear and introduced local, seasonal ingredients».
That’s because of two young, innovative chefs.
Manuel and Beatrice have been working together for three years. It’s difficult to find chefs able to work in pairs. Both of them have traveled the world and know how to re-interpret tradition without denying it. For instance, they have kept the codfish but they make it salted. And, of course, our famous tiramisù. We have finally won the fight for its paternity and -in 2010- the original recipe was filed, claiming that tiramisù hails from here; and the attention that has ensued obviously gives us a hand
But you did not rest on that.
We have improved our recipe further, starting with our own “savoiardo” biscuit, made exclusively for us by the Biscotteria Bettina (Bettina’s biscuits production). Then we moved on to our mascarpone cream, our signature piece. We will also change the shape, in order to return to its roots. Today, everybody makes it square-shaped, but originally it was round like a cake pan and served in slices.
Your website claims to wink an eye on the past while keeping the other eye on the future. Don’t you become cross-eyed?
You have to have your own identity and respect the almost one hundred years of history of this place. We don’t look for weird trends: our territory gives us so much already and our roots are important. Another secret? We do what we like, and our clients can feel it. Our staff is so happy to work here, that asking people to leave after dinner has become our biggest problem. After all, the dining room looks like a private living room, with comfy sofas and soft lights.
These lands are particularly suited to the pleasure of taste. How much are you influenced by the surrounding territory?
Very much, and it’s important to say it, because 60 percent of our clients are Italian and foreign tourists who have realised that there is not only Venice. Our cooking gives us plenty of emotions, but here you can eat plenty, it’s not a nouvelle cuisine. We like our clients to feel the bond with the territory, we like talking about it in their own languages.
I assume that not all food experiments are successful. What is the value of failure in the growth process?
If you think that you’re always right, you will never grow. Sometimes our clients don’t understand the changes, which gives us food for thought. We are not unshakably devoted to our beliefs; in fact our menu could change from one week to another: everything changes quickly. Moreover, Manuel loves the colours and does not want to be remembered for one dish only.
What’s your favourite recipe?
The main courses. Beatrice is very good at making pasta fillings. They are very simple, but you can clearly taste every single flavour.
In a place like this, with more than 60 wine labels, making a toast comes naturally. What would you like to drink to?
Toasting beforehand is bad luck, but I’d do it if I could enter not only the hearth of Treviso’s citizens, but the pages of a prestigious restaurant guide.
