You want some wine to the thorn, with that dried cod in damp?

This unbelivable sign is the menu of a Chioggia tavern. I realized it was not a prank only after while, when the owner - obviously not amused by our taking pictures - was getting ready to get out and give us the beating of our lives.

Some explanation - so to speak, as this stuff sort of defies any - may be in order.

• 'Poultice' is actually 'polenta'.


• 'To the irons' is actually 'grilled'.


• "Scampare" is actually italian for "to escape" - a "scampo", however, is a "shrimp".



• No people from Sardinia were harmed while cooking "Sardinians in saor", which are actually fried, marinated sardines.


• "Wine to the thorn" is "Draught wine".



• Molière's Tartuffe was perhaps a hypocrite, but a "Tartufo al cioccolato" (chocolate truffle) is an ice-cream. Anything "in umido" is a stew (which is kept moist, or even "damp", throughout the cooking process.

Besides interesting translations, Chioggia is a wonderful place for both visiting and eating (non-babel) fish. It is also very close to Venice.
The image is trimmed for readability reasons: I am making available an untrimmed, even funnier version, withholding only the name of the establishment.