Lavarello (Italian)

Lavarelli are the southernmost representatives of this species, which is found in many parts of Europe, mainly in lakes but also venturing out into the Baltic Sea. Members of the family are known collectively as ‘whitefish’, and are related to the salmon family.

In Italy lavarelli are inhabitants of Lago di Garda, but they are also found in the lakes of the Haute Savoie, where they are called lavarets. Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, lodging in the Hotel Pernollet at Belley for several summers, ordered these fish every night (writers thrive on monotony). Gertrude Stein had a horrid little black dog called Byron, I have no doubt that she fed it on lavarets. I have a very high opinion of Gertrude Stein: in The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas she succeeded in painting an altogether convincing picture of Picasso, Braque and Matisse in their youth in Paris. I delight in what she has to say about métier.