Garda Tench Risotto: Tradition, History, and Cultural Roots

The risotto with tench is one of the symbols, a monument of Gardesana cuisine. It is widely popular from Garda downward and is especially common in restaurants in Lazise. A few years ago, a riviera-wide risotto with tench competition was even held. However, among enthusiasts, there is much debate: is it truly a traditional dish or not? Some suspect it might be a modern invention of the restaurant scene. What adds to this doubt is the use of rice: “What does it have to do with Garda?” skeptics say. But rice does have something to do with Garda. Or rather, it used to. Because in past centuries, it was also cultivated along the Riviera. There is still a locality in Garda called Risare. The area is now almost entirely urbanized, but ancient documents testify that rice was once cultivated there. Nereo Maffezzoli, studying the registers of the Corporazione degli antichi originari di Garda, found a note dated November 10, 1686, which blames an epidemic of typhoid on the “Risare in the centre of this narrow valley.” The case of the alleged harmful effects of rice paddies in Garda, studied by Bruno Chiappa based on documents found in the “Ufficio di Sanità” (Health Office) collection at the State Archive of Vercna, dates back to 1686. It states that the community councilor of Garda, Vincenzo Pasotto, attributed the “pale yellow and ugly” color of the local people to the “bad quality of the air, which remains infected by the stench caused by some rice paddies.” The real cause was probably different, but these health concerns almost certainly led to the end of rice cultivation in Garda Valley. In short: by the 17th century, rice was a staple in Garda. It is therefore not surprising that it was combined with the tench stew to create one of the myths of lake cuisine. That this risotto has long been part of Gardesana gastronomic culture is demonstrated by Floreste Malfer. In his “Benaco” from 1927, he notes that it was the main dish for the fishermen’s dinners operating in cooperatives: “The risotto festival,” he wrote as an ichthyologist, “usually takes place during some July-August occasion among the small cooperative fishing crews. It is the crown and reward for the long summer efforts and a moment of joy long awaited, with the tench risotto rising, in its place, to a truly regal dish.” It was even considered “the dream of local followers of Apicius.” The idea that it could be an ancient dish is hinted at by a faint clue linked to the customs of Garda fishermen’s cuisine. In “pescaore” homes (fishermen’s houses), risotto was seasoned not with the flesh of the tench (which was served separately, perhaps with sauce), but with its internal organs. This practice bears a curious resemblance to one of the dishes created by the most important Italian chef of the 15th century: Maestro Martino. His “menestra de trippe de trute” was made with trout innards in broth, with added parsley and mint. Just as Garda fishermen used, for their risotto, tench entrails and chard. Pure coincidence?