"ITALIAN FAMILY CHRISTMAS"
The FEAST of The 7 FISH
The FEAST of The 7 FISH
"Do YOU KNOW HOW to MAKE IT" ?
The FEAST of The 7 FISH
"ITALIAN CHRISTMAS"
ALL The RECIPES & INSTRUCTIONS
YOU NEED
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Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
is the author of a best-selling book titled The FEAST of THE 7 FISH: An ITALIAN-AMERICAN CHRISTMAS EVE FEAST, which provides recipes, stories, and instructions for preparing the traditional Southern Italian Christmas Eve meal. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle editions. The book is considered a top resource on the subject and discusses the origins and customs of this specific Italian-American ritual, which is particularly popular in communities like New York, New Jersey, Boston, and Philadelphia.
The "
Feast of the Seven Fishes" as a named, codified tradition with a specific number of dishes is an Italian-American innovation and is generally not a widely known or celebrated tradition in Italy. In Italy, the Christmas Eve meal is called La Vigilia (The Vigil) or Cena della Vigilia di Natale. The meal traditionally focuses on fish and abstains from meat, in accordance with Catholic practice before a feast day, but the specific number and types of fish vary widely by region and family, or the number count may be entirely absent.
Regional Variations in Italy
While the "seven fishes" rule is an American concept, the tradition of a meatless, fish-centric Christmas Eve meal is prevalent, especially in the coastal South. The dishes are intensely regional:
Naples (Campania): Common dishes include frittelle di baccalà (cod fritters), spaghetti with clams (spaghetti alle vongole), and eel (capitone).
- Calabria: Regional specialties might feature spaghetti with anchovies and breadcrumbs (spaghetti con la mollica e le alici) or a documented tradition of a meal with a number of fish dishes, which some sources cite as a possible origin for the Italian-American practice.
- Rome (Lazio): A typical dish is pasta e broccoli in brodo di arzilla (pasta, broccoli, and skate fish soup).
- Sicily: Traditionally includes various local seafood dishes, such as swordfish pie, but not necessarily a "feast of seven fishes".
- Northern Italy (e.g., Piedmont, Lombardy): Seafood is less central, and some regions might serve simple meals like pizza, risotto, or local stuffed pasta (agnolotti) before midnight mass, or skip the formal fish dinner altogether.
- In essence, the Italian tradition focuses on the concept of a meatless vigil using local, seasonal fish, whereas the Italian-American tradition evolved into a grander, more standardized "Feast of the Seven Fishes," often involving a greater abundance and variety of seafood, including shellfish, shrimp, and lobster.
The FEAST of The 7 FISH
Are You Making It This Year ?
