Venice, along with Friuli, marks the eastern-most border of the region of Venetia, which extend to the west along the Italian border into Eastern Europe. She has a culinary history all her own. In the Middle ages, Venice was the nodal point connecting Europe with the rest of the world, a powerful trading polity whose great fleet brought wonders from around the globe. The abundance of spices that marked Medieval cooking came through this city. Bologna owes thanks to Venice for bringing nutmeg for her famous Bolognese meat sauces. Arabs, Byzantines, Turks, Spaniards, Indians, and Jews all strolled alongside her canals. Coffee, sugar (made from cane, not beets), and rice all entered Europe through this port. Venetians worked fabrics, crystal, gems, and gold from faraway ports into the intricate material culture of their canal-side palazzos. Dining rooms were showcases for the wonders of the world. The Venetians are said to have invented the fork, and with much delight they will tell you that they ate with forks while the French still had their paws in their porridge. This history, combined with the wealth of the sea, makes up Venice's unique culinary present. Nuts, raisins, spices, and even a sweet and sour preparation (saor) that may be related to Chinese cooking all have a place on Venice's colorful cooking palette. However, the delicate freshness of the fish that make up so much of the diet restrains any impulses to heavy spicing, for good seafood wants only the lightest preparation. The result is a clean, simple, and still piquant taste that is unmatched in the rest of Italy.