We're in the Veneto this week and we asked our friends to suggest some dishes that may not be thought of as typical Italian food to the rest of the world. While we're extremely familiar with the cuisine of Venice, these three dishes were new to us and we hope to be able to sample some great cuisine of the Veneto this week.

Pasta e Fasoi (Pasta and Beans)

A simple dish with modest roots. Like much of the cuisine in the Veneto, it is a cucina povera and was invented by peasants. Full of flavor, this a classic dish.

Risi e Bisi

Another simple dish, however, the origins of this dish are royal. The story goes that the city of Venice served "risi e bisi" to the Doge on the occasion of the festival of the patron saint of the city, St. Mark on April 25th.

Polenta e Osei

This dish is composed of two elements. The polenta is a dish made with cornmeal, oil and water, that one cooks and serves solid. The second half of this dish, the "osei" means "little birds" or uccelli piccolini in Venetian dialect.