5i 



tightly, the upper ones rather less so ; when full the 

 barrels are headed up, and spiced vinegar containing a 

 little salt is poured in through the bung. The barrels 

 are left to stand thus for some time, additional vinegar 

 being added if necessary to completely fill the barrel, 

 when the time comes to close the bung. With proper 

 packing 12 litres of vinegar are calculated to suffice to 

 marinate 13 kilos of eels while half a kilogram of salt is 

 the amount added to each 4 litres of vinegar. 



The barrels and kegs employed are made on the 

 premises. On an average about 22,000 are required for 

 the year's pack. The great majority of the marinated 

 eels are put up in four sizes of barrels containing respect- 

 ively 15, 25, 35 and 55 kilos offish. Austria and South 

 Germany are by far the principal customers and Signor 

 Cornia informed me that the value of the export of this 

 product from Comacchio to these countries may be 

 reckoned 200,000 lire and 150,000 respectively. Small 

 quantities also go to France and Russia. During the 

 middle ages these kegs strapped upon pack horses must 

 have been familiar objects to travellers on the historic 

 road between Venice and Augsburg, the great artery of 

 commerce in those days between Germany and the mis- 

 tress of the Adriatic. As showing the extensive nature 

 of this trade at the present day it is interesting to note 

 that the quantity of vinegar required during the three 

 months, which constitute the main fishing season, averages 

 350,000 litres, all made from grapes. Marinated smelts, 

 called in the Italian trade Aquadella fritufa marinata, 

 are treated somewhat differently from eels, partly because 

 of their smaller size and more delicate nature and partly 

 because of a deficiency of oil in their tissues. Instead, 

 therefore, of being spitted and roasted, they are first 

 rolled in flour and then fried or rather boiled in oil. 

 The oil used is that collected from the eels during roast- 

 ing ; in this they are boiled for five minutes in copper 

 caldrons, the flour in which they were rolled imparting an 

 appetsing appearance and colour to the finished product. 

 After frying they are laid out to cool and to drain 

 thoroughly. As with eels, after they are cool, they are 

 packed in barrels, which are filled with vinegar after 

 being headed up, and then left to stand awhile before the 

 bung is inserted. 

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