Hard to believe Christmas Eve is just around the corner. Thinking about celebrating it in Italian style? Then get ready to visit your favorite fishmonger, you will be making at least seven seafood courses!That's because Italians celebrate the Feast of Seven Fishes on la vigilia di Natale (Christmas Eve). As Toni Lydecker writes, "The idea of serving seven fish dishes or varieties of seafood is often linked to the number of sacraments or the days God required to create the world. But the numbers three (Trinity), twelve (apostles) and thirteen (apostles plus Christ) are considered equally propitious. And the truth is that many Italian families don't bother to count-the important thing is gathering in the dead of winter for a celebratory feast."
Toni shares with us how Sicilians celebrate the Feast of Seven Fishes and recommends several recipes - for Baccalà and Potato (con patate) Stew and Octopus (Polipo) al Nero d'Avola from her recent cookbook Seafood alla Siciliana.
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5 comments:
I love this tradition! When we lived in Milano, I tried to prepare a proper Christmas Eve dinner, but I think I cheated by combining everything into a seafood pasta! :-)
I love pasta.I think I cheated by combining everything into a seafood pasta.i like also dradition.
You'll laugh at me, but I had never heard of the Feast of the 7 fish. We avoid meat on the 24th, and sometimes have fish, but it's not a ritual we follow. Maybe because we are far from the sea and fish is not a huge part of our diet. You live, you learn! Lovely post!
I think it's more of a southern Italy and coastal Italy tradition. We ate Christmas Eve dinner at our neighbor's house (in northern Tuscany) and had zampone and baccala, the traditional Cucina Povera here. In the past baccala would probably have been the only fish they could get. They said the 7 fishes is mostly practiced more in the south.
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