The Buranelli biscuits from the island of Burano

From fishermen’s cookies to a local specialty

Venetian local cuisine offers a wide range of amazing desserts such as: tiramisù, a coffee-flavoured cake, fritelle, galani and castagnole just eaten during Carnival, the hard baked baicoli and the coconut-stuffed arnotts.

Among all of those desserts the Buranelli occupy a special place in Venetian pastry, because they have never suffered from any culinary “contamination”, of which Venetian cuisine is typical, due to the availability of many exotic products.

Eaten once just at Easter, they are the most famous cookies of Venice. You can find them all over in Venetian pastries, but as tradition recalls those butter cookies were prepared by the fishermen’s wives of the island of Burano for their husbands. Having the Buranelli a good durability in terms of conservation, they were brought on board as men stayed away from home for several days. Those biscuits provided them with energy being the main ingredients eggs, flour, sugar and butter. Their golden yellow color is achieved through the use of many eggs.

They have different names: buranelli, bussolà or buranei and essi. The name “bussolà”comes from the Venetian dialect “buso” which means hole, “ buranei” because they are made on the island of Burano, and “essi” because they recall the s-hape of the Grand Canal.

Today they are tasted mainly by dipping them in white wine or coffee to soften them. If you happen to visit the island of Burano, do not forget to try them!