Seppie in Nero con Polenta

The cooking of Venice is unlike the cooking of any other Italian city. The lagoon shaped everything: the fish, the rice, the vegetables grown on islands, the trade routes that brought spices. Seppie in nero is Venice on a plate. The cuttlefish comes from the Adriatic, the ink from the creature itself, and the polenta from the cornfields of the Veneto.

Americans often confuse cuttlefish with squid. They are related but not the same. Cuttlefish has a thicker body, a more delicate texture when cooked properly, and larger ink sacs. If you cannot find cuttlefish, squid will do, but the dish will be slightly different. Cuttlefish is what Venetian grandmothers used, and it is what you should seek.

The ink frightens some people. It should not. It tastes of the sea, adds a silky quality to the sauce, and turns the dish that particular shade of black that has made it famous. Without the ink, you have braised cuttlefish. With it, you have something that belongs only to Venice.