When it comes to an Italian Christmas, food is an important—okay, possibly the most important—part of the tradition. In Puglia, sweet wine is one of the flavours most associated with Christmas, and is used as the basis for two of the region’s most beloved festive treats; cartellate and vinocotto. chicken, broth, not eel broth, thank goodness! But what exactly do Italians eat for their Christmas meals? In our house on Christmas Eve we serve smoked salmon and salt cod as a starter followed by ravioli as a first course and fish baked in a salt crust for a main course. Read More…, Thanks for visiting Living a Life in Colour again, good to have you back here. In Naples they serve vermicelli with clams, mussels or razor clams. So they don’t eat meat. LAST UPDATED ON 08/10/2020 By Travelling Dany Leave a Comment. Woo Wei-Duan provides practical instruction on Italian cooking and recipes as well as musings on life and family on this website. 225 gms lean mixture of meat: pork loin, veal loin, and chicken breast, sliced 1/2 cm thick When the cappelletti float, remove with a slotted spoon to the serving bowls. Il panettone(fruitcake) 7. As much (delicious!) Get curated Italy travel tips delivered to your inbox! The Epiphany on 6 January marks the end of the holiday season. After you’ve (ahem) refrained from indulging on Christmas Eve, you’re allowed to really tuck in on Christmas Day. Stay tuned for an upcoming post on what to eat for New Year’s and the Epiphany in Italy! For this part it is best to enlist the help and companionship of friends and family. Dishes served on the day before a religious festival such as Christmas Eve, known as La Vigilia, are meant to purify the body before the rich holiday foods. These also vary. Other desserts include cavallucci, cookies with the image of a horse (from, of course, Siena); dita degli apostoli (“fingers of the apostles”), chocolate- or coffee-flavored ricotta-filled omelettes, a Puglian tradition; and mostaccioli, spiced nut pastries gobbled up by Romans. This collection of authentic Italian Christmas Eve and Christmas Day recipes will help you to plan a holiday just like Nonna. what do italians eat for christmas lunch? The Christmas season starts in Italy on 6 December with the birthday of Saint Nicola (the basis for Santa Claus, known as Babbo Natale in Italy). Romans eat spaghetti with anchovies. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe by e-mail. After you’ve (ahem) refrained from indulging on Christmas Eve, you’re allowed to really tuck in on Christmas Day. The Vigilia. But Italians don’t only eat sweets over Christmas. Lunch is the main meal. Christmas is a joyful time of year, during which everything is light and colorful. Your email address will not be published. Flour your work surface lightly and keep the pasta you are not currently working with on the floured surface. Prior to the birth of Christianity, the day marked the winter solstice. Expect lots of these guys! The second course can be meat- or fish-based, but more often there are more than one second courses. There is something very important to keep in mind when talking about Italian Christmas traditions: there is no such thing as just one tradition! Lunch is the biggest meal of the day for Italians and they literally keep on eating for hours! In Sicilia, Santa Lucia is honoured for bringing grain to the starving poor and is marked by serving cuccìa, a spoon pudding of wheat berries, ricotta and candied orange zest. It will come as no surprise to you all to hear that there is no singular traditional christmas lunch deal in Italy, although having deprived themselves of meat on Christmas Eve, generally everybody eats meat on the 25th. In Rome, a favorite local dish is the pezzetti, which are fried cubes of ricotta or pieces of artichokes, zucchini, or broccoli; in Naples, a starter is a sauteed mix of broccoli and seafood. Required fields are marked *. Fold the pasta over so that the corners meet and form a triangle. All the Italian Christmas food you should eat on your trip! 50 gms mortadella or beef bone marrow or a mixture of the two, finely chopped But here are some of our favorite food traditions! They usually have the word “pane” in the name (meaning “bread”) such as panspeziale/certosino (from Emilia Romagna), pangiallo (from Lazio), pani ‘e saba (from Sardegna), panforte and panpepato (both from Toscana). Can I point out that there is a difference between ‘capitone’ (female eel) and capon (cappone), which is a castrated male chicken. Ask most people what Italians eat for Christmas, and they’ll almost always say panettone; it’s one of the few specialties that have started to influence Christmas celebrations in other cultures. Our website uses cookies to improve your user experience. Ladle the meat broth into the bowls. Sit the filled pasta up with the center corner up and bring the two bottom corners together. In this piece, Great Italian Chefs features editor Tom Shingler compares what Italians love to eat — and drink — during the holidays in northern Piemonte and southern Puglia. Originally published December 16, 2016. Not just Christmas Day but also the 24th December also known as the Vigilia. And if you’re at a Christmas Day meal in Calabria, don’t be surprised if the table stays set even after everyone’s finished eating and left. In Milan, the land of Panettone, we usually do not celebrate the Vigilia, we have a huuge lunch on Dec 25th, I don’t know why, but Milan have often different religious tradition, Milan is not under the Roman Catholic rite, but under the Ambrosian Catholic one (Advent, Lent, Carnival and so on are a little bit different). Christmas is a major holiday in Italy… which means Italians celebrate lots of great, unique Christmas traditions! Dishes served on the day before a religious festival such as Christmas Eve, known as La Vigilia, are meant to purify the body before the rich holiday foods.. Then the first course follows which is often pasta or a soup. Add the meat to the egg mixture and combine well. for the Trinity times the 7 sacraments. In the north, especially Lombardy and Piedmont, lasagna is covered with anchovies, parmesan, and seasonings. It begins with a starter. Ahhh. Christmas Day Lunch. Lunch is the main meal. Branzino in sale (sea bass baked in a salt crust). Your email address will not be published. If your pasta is not closing well as it is too dry, dip your finger into the reserved meat cooking liquid and moisten the edges to close. Required fields are marked *. The pinnacle of the holiday season is 25 December to celebrate the birth of Christ. Your email address will not be published. Almond and honey torrone is the most traditional sweet. The Italian Christmas dinner includes at least 5 courses. Natale lunch begins with a classic antipasto spread featuring dry cured meats, salumi, fine Italian cheeses, briny olives, artichokes and more. Italians aren’t generally big on desserts, but when it comes to sweets and the Christmas season, all bets are off. It’s traditionally way more… but don’t worry, there’s a theological reason behind all of that indulgence! The eve of the Epiphany is when la Befana, a toothless old woman, visits children and fills their stockings with toys, sweets and alphabet-shaped biscuits if they are good and coal shaped candy if they are bad. Usually Italian families put up their Christmas trees, decorations and the presepe (nativity scence) on this day. These days, many are more relaxed about the rules of fasting. Flour a baking sheet and have another damp tea towel ready. with loved ones.But customs also vary from city to city, from exactly which dishes are served, to when to open presents, making every region an interesting place to enjoy the holidays. By using our site you accept that use. It is common practice for Italian children write letters to Babbo Natale(Father Christmas) asking for Christmas presents. As a child growing up in an Italian American family, it also meant that our family followed the same traditions year after year. Lunch. Filed Under: Family, Food, footer, Holiday Tagged With: christmas, christmas eve, epiphany, feast of the immaculate conception, fish, la befana, la vigilia, lasagna, saint nicola, santa lucia, Your email address will not be published. Often eel (capitone) is served fried, grilled, pickled, roasted, spit-roasted or stewed as is baccalà often stewed or fried. The first course is pasta that varies by region. Pasta in brodo—pasta in broth—is a common kickoff to the meal across Italy, but particularly in the north.In Bologna, it’s all about meat-filled tortellini in capon (eel) broth; in Ferrara, the pasta’s stuffed with pumpkin filling. Add 30 cappelletti to the water and turn the heat to low, do not let the water boil. When the butter has melted, add the meat mixture and turn the heat to low. Most regions prefer to celebrate with family and friends on Christmas Eve, I mean if your part of an Italian-American family you probably do the same, while in the northern regions you must have lunch on the 25th altogether. Italian Christmas traditions. 2 pinches nutmeg, finely grated On Christmas Eve, many families eat fish courses for dinner (known as Il Cenone in southern Italy). In Lombardia the turkey can be stuffed with fruit and chestnuts; in Piemonte the stuffing is chestnuts, sausage, pork, eggs and cheese and in Lazio it can be breadcrumbs, eggs and parmigiano-reggiano cheese. There is also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December, celebrating the conception of Christ. 100 gms parmigiano-reggiano cheese plus more for serving ITALIA: +39 0932 1846653 / Via San Brancati 16 C.da Cannizzara, 97015 Modica (RG) USA: +1 919-249-5055 / PO Box 9000, Edgartown, MA 02539 USA What do Italians Eat for Christmas? Traditionally, the dishes are left because they’re waiting for the Madonna and the baby Jesus to come… to taste the food! In the Center and in the South the most important moment is la Vigilia dinner , while in the North the big celebration takes place on the 25th lunch. Want to make some of these foods yourself? The biggest meal is served on Christmas Eve (la vigilia) and usually involves a course—or more!—of fish. But I think though it’s a rare type this one is nice to try sometimes. Of course, sweet breads, like panettone and pandoro, are popular across Italy. Having an Italian Christmas Eve? For Italians, December 25th is without any doubt the most important day on the calendar. Then, of course, come the pasta dishes. Tortellini(ring-shaped pasta) 6. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In a separate sauce pan, bring 4 litres of water to a boil over medium heat with 1.5 tablespoons of salt. Lamb 5. Whether you are in the north or the south will dictate which fish dish is the most traditional. Italian holiday foods are often symbolic as well as delicious. Confusingly, both feature in regional traditions at Christmas. In southern Italy, fish is served as the main course. Cut the pasta sheets in half if they are getting too long. In Italy the Christmas season lasts for a few weeks up until Epiphany. If you haven't yet, you might want to subscribe by e-mail, « Cellar Tour: Allegrini: the perfect marriage of culture and wine. Stay up to date with travel tips, local insights and all things Italy on our social channels! Christmas Eve (24 December) has a symbolic number of courses: 7 for the seven sacraments (visual rituals Jesus entrusted to the Catholic Church to symbolize God’s presence), 9 for the Trinity (the number 3 multiplied by itself- 3 symbolising the son (Jesus Christ), the father (God) and the Holy Spirit), 12 for the 12 disciples of Jesus, 13 (Jesus plus the 12 disciples) and 21 (the Trinity (3) multiplied by 7 for the seven sacraments). Christmas in Italy is celebrated over several weeks as Italians celebrate from early December, depending on the region, until the day of Epiphany, on the 6th of January. Hello. If you think we’re talking about a 3-course meal here, by the way, think again. 1. Seven courses might be served for the 7 sacraments, 9 for the Trinity (squared), 12 for the apostles, 13 for the disciples with Jesus, or 21 (yikes!) Walks of Italy, Via Caio Mario 14A, Rome, Italy, Update your browser to view this website correctly. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. In Bologna, it’s all about meat-filled tortellini in capon (eel) broth; in Ferrara, the pasta’s stuffed with pumpkin filling. The main meal of Christmas day consists of various salumi and cheese, cappelletti (stuffed pasta) in broth for a first course, roast goose with sour cherry and red wine sauce for a main course accompanied by roast potatoes and other vegetables. The Christmas season in Italy continues all the way until January 6, the day of the Epiphany. Then, of course, there’s the dessert. Yes, you read that right. Usually meat isn't eaten on this day so instead being in the south and near the sea they will prepare a enormous fish dinner. Lo zampone(skin of a lower pig leg filled with minced meat) 2. Whether the fish dishes that are actually served qualify as “lean,” of course, is another story! The most important of the Natale meals, Christmas Day lunch can last for hours.Unlike Christmas Eve’s meal, Christmas Day is typically meat-based. The Christmas season starts in Italy on 6 December with the birthday of Saint Nicola (the basis for Santa Claus, known as Babbo Natale in Italy). Christmas sweets with ancient origins are made from fruit, spices, nuts and honey. food as that is, though, Italians aren’t done! Capitone (eel) The "capitone" is the female eel, and it is named like that because of the larger size of the head compared to the male (in Neapolitan dialect, capitone means big head). Morning Tea. Like everything else in Italy, of course, exact Christmas foods depend on the region. They vary a lot from north to south, I mean it really depends on where you are. In Naples, rinforzo (pickled vegetable salad with olives, anchovies and capers) is served daily between Christmas and the Epiphany (the first appearance of Jesus). In a medium sized bowl, mix together the egg, nutmeg, prosciutto, mortadella, bone marrow, and Parmigiano-reggiano cheese. In the south, families celebrate with a big dinner. Learn how to make Italian recipes for family and friends. Here are some recipes to help: Recipes for a whole Christmas meal, including tortellini in brodo, stuffed chicken, eel with peas and tomato, and panettone pudding, Recipes for various Christmas fish dishes from Puglia, with stunning photos, Recipes for a northern Italian Christmas, including braised veal, anchovies in green sauce, and apple tart, Italy’s 6 Sweet Christmas Breads: Panettone and Beyond, 10 of the Most Beautiful Castles in Italy. One of the best things about Christmas is the amount of sweet pastries, biscuits and desserts on offer. What do the Italians eat for christmas dinner? Reserve the cooking liquid in a small bowl. For morning tea (taken around 10-11am) Italians tend to eat sandwiches with very thin slices of ham and/or cheese. For this reason Christmas breads, such as panettone (the most iconic Christmas cake, a fluffy sweetened bread flavoured with fruit and raisins originating from Milan), pandoro (a star-shaped yeasted cake flavoured with citron, lemon and vanilla from Verona) and pandolce (a dense cake rich with candied citrus zest, sultanas, pine nuts, anise seed and orange flower water from Genova), are round to symbolize the sun and its power to provide warmth and give and take away life. As it was the darkest and shortest day of the year it was a pagan holiday to celebrate the birth of the sun god, Mithra. After Christmas Eve, which is almost as important as Christmas, and Christmas Day, of course, with gift-opening and long lunches and gatherings, Italians celebrate Santo Stefano, on December 26. Christmas was always a special time. Sprinkle Parmigiano-reggiano cheese over top and serve. The pasta sheets symbolize the swaddling clothes of baby Jesus. Dessert includes panettone, the star-shaped pandoro dusted with icing sugar and torrone. For Italians, La Festa dell’Epifania on January 6th is as significant a holiday as Christmas Day; especially for Italian children! Eat like the Italians this Christmas By Jamie magazine • November 23, 2015 • In Christmas Try something different this year with an Italian take on Christmas lunch. December 24th-La Viglia di Natale-Christmas Eve. How Italians do Christmas: ... Mass before returning home to the banquet that has been in intense preparation all day. Christmas meals include: 1. We make these as a family and use the opportunity to chat and have fun. Italian holiday foods are often symbolic as well as delicious. That’s in keeping with most meals served on the eve before a religious festival in Italy: You’re supposed to have a giorno di magro, eating lean to help purify your body for the holiday. In northern Italy on Christmas day, the traditional first course is stuffed pasta (tortellini, sorir, cappellacci or cappelletti – different shapes and stuffing depending on the region) served in capon broth. These days, more common fish include baccalà, octopus, and shellfish. You want some texture, not mush. My mother often spoke of mostaccioli, but I’ve never had it. Thanks for sharing. Eel used to be the main course for most Italian families, but now, many in Italy eat turkey—stuffed, not unlike what you see for an American Thanksgiving! Fresh egg pasta The Christians chose this day to celebrate the birth of the son of God, Jesus Christ, and the birth of the sun at the same time. Italians typically eat a croissant or some yoghurt for breakfast with a cup of coffee or a cappuccino. Christmas, a day that has mainly a religious meaning, began in Italy around 300 A.D., when Emperor Constantine, after adopting the new faith of Christianity, celebrated the … Especially the children look forward to the start of the Christmas season in December when Christmas trees are put up and houses are decorated. In a small sauté pan, heat the butter over medium heat. a guide to Italian food, wine and culture, December 2, 2014 By wooweiduan Leave a Comment. Other typical fish dishes include brodetto (fish soup from Le Marche), pezzetti (battered and fried vegetables and ricotta from Rome), sautéed broccoli and shellfish from Naples, baby octopus and caponata (stewed sweet and sour aubergine from Sicilia). According to tradition, the meal for Christmas Eve, La Vigilia, doesn’t have any meat. Italians know how to party. Pinch the edges shut pressing out any air inside. Starting on Christmas Eve, Italians like to hold back, saving themselves for the main event on Christmas day. One traditional Christmas Eve dish is capitone (eel), although it’s becoming less and less popular. Across Italy, Natale tends to be a family-centric holiday, a time to stay at home (and eat!) Instead they just dabble, in a small meal known as The Feast of Seven Fishes. Take one sheet of pasta and using a paring knife or pasta cutter cut it into 3-5 cm squares. Take a 1/4 teaspoon of filling and place in the centre of a square. What do Italians eat on Christmas?The answer is that there's no dish in particular that can be found on every single Italian holiday table. Il cotechino(sausage, similar to salami) 3. You will need to cook the cappelletti in batches. Saint Stephen’s day is much more relaxed than Christmas day, you can basically just chill out and relax. Select Italy puts you in touch with the heart of Italian culture, from the Tuscan countryside to the capital of Rome, and provides the information needed to organize a once in a lifetime tour of Italy. It’s all fish and vegetables. Turkey 4. 1 egg The tortellini in brodo of Bologna which you mention are in capon, i.e. Roll your pasta to the last (thinnest) setting on your pasta machine. Place finished cappelletti on the floured baking sheet and cover with the damp tea towel. Thanks for visiting! In Lombardia and Piemonte, lasagna (pasta sheets layered with a sauce made from butter, anchovies, garlic, leeks, sage, rosemary, bay leaves, black pepper and/or parmigiano reggiano) is a traditional Christmas Eve dish. Recipes for various Christmas fish dishes from Puglia. The dishes and traditions are very different throughout the Peninsula. Each region has its own traditional dish for Christmas dinner: the cuisine reflects the characteristics and flavors of the local environment. Bombardino(a popular drink similar to eggnog) Another popular Christmas activity is the “urn of fate”, in which present… The following Italian dishes are the types of food my southern Italian family (some of whom are now all over the globe) makes at Christmastime, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Meat broth. One food you might see on a Christmas Eve in Italy: shellfish! On 13 December, Santa Lucia visits the northeast of Italy to give gifts, sweets and frollini di santa Lucia (biscuits shaped like piglets, ponies or flowers to the children). That may explain why we do not celebrate the “cenone” on Dec 24th! Very unique idea. Feast, of SEVEN Fishes. What I remember of those years was that, after church on Christmas morning, my father … Pasta in brodo—pasta in broth—is a common kickoff to the meal across Italy, but particularly in the north. When the meat has cooled, finely chop it either by hand or in a food processor. Cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour. Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission.As an Amazon Associate I … Regional Christmas desserts include spongata (a honey, nut and raisin cake from Emilia), cavallucci (spice and walnut biscuits imprinted with a horse from Siena), cassola (cheesecake from Rome), struffoli (towers of fried dough glazed with honey from Campania), cassata (sponge cake filled with sweet ricotta with candied fruit and chocolate and decorated with marzipan and candied fruit), buccellata (pastry ring filled with dried fruit, nuts and honey from Sicilia), cartellate (dough ribbons symbolizing baby Jesus’s sheets from Puglia) and dita degli apostoli (omelettes filled with chocolate or coffee flavoured ricotta symbolizing the fingers of the apostles from Puglia). If you are lucky enough to be in Rome for Christmas, then you should certainly make an effort to find a restaurant or trattoria to enjoy some of the traditional Roman disheswhich make up the classic Christmas dinner menu. Be careful not to overchop it. This is the first thing to know when talking about Christmas in Italy. 50 gms prosciutto, finely chopped Cover the pasta with a damp towel to keep it moist. Remove it from the pan and let it cool. This one is very unusual for a Christmas menu. You can add some cold water to the pan to prevent this. Bring the meat broth to a simmer. Homemade cappelletti are more work but are completely worth the effort. A day ritualized for more family gatherings and a continuation of Christmas, it commemorates this important saint, martyr, and messenger in the dissemination of Christianity. If you have spent Christmas at your parents’, you might be forced to go over and eat avanzi (leftovers), but your mother won’t turn into a drama queen if you just want to relax and do your thing. Some day I’ll try, preferably in Sicily, at Christmas. The children really enjoy being involved in turning the pasta machine and helping to fold the pasta. According to the Italian legend, La Befana, a witch-like woman riding on a broom, refused to join the Wise Men on their journey to see the baby Jesus. A popular Christmas food in Emilia-Romagna and the north: filled pasta. In Naples, it’s vermicelli with clams or mussels. Cook until the meat is cooked through but do not let it dry out (about 3 minutes each side). This will transform the process from work to fun. Update my browser now. The traditional main course was capon although in modern times, turkey is more common. Fold the top corner back slightly. Pasta machine and helping to fold the pasta dishes, you may want subscribe! 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