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RARE FOOD IN VICENZA
A terracotta refrigerator, filled with goose and sealed with fat
The old Veneto method for keeping goose for months, and sometimes years
Before domestic refrigeration, Veneto farmhouses had another answer to winter storage: goose, salt, an earthenware jar and plenty of fat. Oca in onto, also known as oca in pignatto, is an old preservation method now protected by a Slow Food Presidium whose historic production area includes the province of Vicenza.
Know before you go
Oca in onto is a rare traditional preparation. Marostica is one of the easiest places in Vicenza to encounter the tradition during the autumn and winter food calendar.
About
Oca in onto belongs to an old rural food tradition of the Vicenza countryside: Onto means fat in the local dialect. The goose was salted, sometimes lightly smoked or cooked, packed into a pignatto, an earthenware jar, then sealed away from the air beneath its own melted fat. The result was a terracotta refrigerator centuries before refrigeration. Kept this way, goose could last throughout winter and, according to traditional producers, for as long as two years. France has confit. The Veneto countryside had oca in onto.
THE STORY ↓
Oca in onto is an old Veneto way of preserving goose. Onto means fat in local dialect.
Around San Martino in November, goose was salted, sometimes cooked or lightly smoked, then packed into a pignatto, an earthenware jar, and covered with its own melted fat. Stored in a cool cellar, it could last through winter and, according to traditional producers, much longer. San Martino also marked the end of the farming year, when accounts were settled and the harvest celebrated. A jar of goose was part feast, part winter pantry. The result was a terracotta refrigerator centuries before refrigeration.
THE SPRING DISH ↓
By spring, the preserved goose met the first fresh peas.
Risi, bisi e oca pairs oca in onto with rice and peas, traditionally including the peas grown at Lumignano in the Berici Hills. A 1962 account of Vicenza cooking recommends the combination, especially with Lumignano peas.
Two old Vicenza foods, one from the winter store, one from the first spring harvest.
WHERE TO TASTE IT ↓
Marostica keeps the goose tradition particularly visible in autumn.
The Antica Fiera di San Simeone brings roast goose into the historic square, traditionally served with Marzemino. Local restaurants continue with Oca e Marzemin, serving goose dishes through the colder months.
Marzemino brings its own piece of food lore. Mozart gave the wine a cameo in Don Giovanni, with the call for “excellent Marzemino”.
For 2026, the Antica Fiera di San Simeone is scheduled for 25 October.