Italy boasts many regional Christmas recipes; in fact, each region has a different typical first course dish.As a general rule of thumb, on Christmas Day, meat is more prevalent in the north, seafood in the south. — Ellen Fiore, Ridgewood, New Jersey Then it’s like the ocean exploded and the other 4 fishes come out at the same time. 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. Our Italian Christmas dinner menu is overflowing with the abundance, fresh flavors, and seasonal ingredients you expect from Italian cuisine, and it's special enough to be your holiday meal. Whether your crowd prefers a casual holiday meal or a formal sit-down affair, we have menu ideas for every type of Christmas Eve dinner.Whichever menu you choose, these delicious dishes will put everyone in a festive mood. In Italy, the traditions are typically respected in the countryside by a small number of persons, whereas the majority of people have substituted the natural and simple local fares, with exotic dishes and complex dinner menus with the exception of the eels and/or baccala’ present on Christmas Eve on every table. Italy is known for its recipes that combine taste and a unique piece of home. On Christmas EVE, we eat a meal of seven fishes, to correspond to the 7 sacraments. Following dinner, many families visit the midnight mass at church. Make this year different from the others with our quintessentially Tuscan five-course feast. From Classic Lasagna with Meat Sauce to Scallop Pasta with Catalan Romesco Sauce to Carbonara with Braised Lamb, you'll find a showstopping holiday meal here. Regardless of your heritage, a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner (Feast of the Seven Fishes) is a fabulous way to celebrate the holiday. Each holiday season, many Italian-American families enjoy a Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. My menu will not be as extensive as what was served in New Jersey for Christmas Eve. Cubans, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans serve roast pig (pernil)." After dinner, Italians head off for midnight mass. A typical menu is made of pasta with anchovies or clams, followed by fried or roasted 'capitone' (eel), roasted fish, boiled lobster and insalata di rinforzo. https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/italian-christmas-recipes Get the Recipe: Cioppino My Mom's Lasagna. While some cultures center their big meal on Christmas Day, for others it's Christmas Eve. Source Image: saltwatergrille.wordpress.com. Be careful—any of our favorite Italian Christmas dinner ideas will quickly become a yearly tradition. Gouda And Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms by Striped Spatula. Lunch, il pranzo , on Christmas Day is the most important of all the Christmas feasts and is a lengthy affair. Years gone by, the family has changed and many have past on, memories and traditions will carry on through our children as we instill these. Tradition implies that you need to eat fish for Christmas Eve, but again this really depends on where in Italy you’re from, and what your plans are for the next day. In some parts of Eastern Europe such as Poland and Lithuania, a traditional meatless 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper is served before opening gifts. And each of Italy’s twenty regions celebrates the holiday season in its own unique way. Italian Catholics eat seven types of seafood. Christmas Eve Confetti Pasta. 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. In Italy, Christmas eating starts at lunchtime then continues well into the night. There are a lot of dishes to keep track of if you’re thinking of creating your own Italian Christmas menu. It's so colorful with a tossed salad and garlic bread — and always gets raves! Each region has its own traditional dish for Christmas dinner: the cuisine reflects the characteristics and flavors of the local environment. Tradition runs deep in Italy. The Jesus figurine isn’t placed in the traditional Christmas crib until the night from December 24 to December 25.. This easy Christmas dinner has become a holiday tradition in our home. The heart of the Christmas Eve dinner is the appetizers. Start things off with not one but two easy holiday appetizers. There’s a classic lasagne, make-ahead fish pie, slow-cooked beef stew and lots more. Like everything else in life, they celebrate their Italian Christmas Traditions in a manner of different ways. PANETTONE. In Tuscany, Christmas dinner is completely different to what you’ll find in the rest of the world (and even within Italy). So to get you into the festive spirit (but hopefully not the dentist's chair), here is a selection of 10 brilliant Italian sweets! All the prep is done before we attend Christmas Eve service. Natale," the Italian word for Christmas, is literally the translation for "birthday." Italian Christmas Eve Dinner. It's so colorful with a tossed salad and garlic bread — and always gets raves! Cause maybe you’re with another side of the family so you find yourself having a Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. You'll find lots of soups, salads, appetizers, pasta, risotto — and most importantly, seafood. The foods served are symbolic of wishes for the coming year and are accompanied by plenty of festive drinks like Prosecco or spumante (sparkling wine). Every year in the U.S., many people celebrate the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. — Ellen Fiore, Ridgewood, New Jersey Best Traditional Italian Christmas Eve Dinner from The Traditional Italian Christmas Eve Dinner…. Traditional Italian Christmas food isn’t just a meal — it’s more of an event. Christmas Eve Neapolitan Menu. For many people, one of the best parts of Christmas is the delicious, traditional home-cooked meals that signify the season. Bless the Italians! Well, its all about fish, not surprisingly. Sitting down with your loved ones and feasting together is a classic way to celebrate the holidays around the world. So what is a classic Christmas Eve menu in Naples?. Since most Italians do not eat meat on Christmas Eve, here are some traditional second-course items to enjoy. All the prep is done before we attend Christmas Eve service. I am only having 9 for dinner, not the usual 21 plus drop-ins. 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. But whatever part of the country you’re in, it’s customary to get together with family and to abstain from eating meat at la cena della vigilia (Christmas Eve Dinner).. Let’s have a look at the traditional Christmas primi of the 20 Italian regions (source: La Cucina Italiana magazine).. Trentino-Alto Adige The classic salad on the list typically includes cauliflower, capers, olives, anchovies, vinegar, garlic etc. Italians celebrate New Year's Eve, known as the Vigilia, Capodanno, or Festa di San Silvestro, with a cenone (big feast).This celebratory meal often features several courses and lasts for many hours. Antipasti. Tangy, full-flavored cranberry meatballs are always a favored at Christmas dinner and the recipe can easily scaled up for holiday events. Traditional Italian Christmas dinner begins with light appetizers or antipasto. 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 dishes which make up the classic Christmas dinner menu.. Not just Christmas Day but also the 24th December also known as the Vigilia. Typically, we start with cold shrimp cocktail (in these adorable fishy mini-appetizer dishes), then go to soup and pasta (see the ah-leege reference below). This easy Christmas dinner has become a holiday tradition in our home. Visit this site for details: saltwatergrille.wordpress.com. Jan 7, 2019 - Explore Sue Poor's board "Italian Christmas Dinner" on Pinterest. Christmas is the crowning jewel of the Italian feast of Natale, a three day festive celebration held over Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.Italians are well known for their love of feasting and the festive period is no exception, with Italian home cooks displaying their culinary prowess across a number of sumptuous courses. Serving a multi-course seafood dinner on Christmas Eve (La Vigilia) is a wonderful holiday mealtime tradition that originated in Southern Italy. See more ideas about recipes, food, italian christmas dinner. Photo Courtesy of Manu’s Menu . ... Giada’s aromatic seafood stew is perfect for an Italian-style Christmas Eve dinner. Also called The Feast of the Seven Fishes, the ritual of La Viglia has been handed down from generation to … Christmas Eve Dinner Recipes. What is the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner? Typical Italian Christmas dishes include baccalà (salted dried cod fish), vermicelli, baked pasta, capon and turkey. One of our favorite Christmas traditions in Italy — one of our favorite Christmas traditions anywhere, really — is the food. On returning, I just boil water and saute. Christmas Eve dinner is a big deal in the Italian household. As its name suggests, the lavish, multi-course meal features a variety of fish and shellfish, served as appetizers, entrees, and pasta dishes. The classic Italian recipes will make Christmas dinner a breeze. What does a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner menu look like? In fact, you may have heard this Christmas feast referred to as the Feast of the Seven Fishes, now celebrated with seven different seafood dishes. For sweets, make sure to try panettone : a sweet loaf with nuts, raisins, and fruit that is apparently so popular that people have to eventually re-gift some of the dozens of loaves they receive. Christmas Eve dinner recipes. This course often consists of a variety of bread-based dishes. If, like us, you love the continental approach to Christmas – where the celebrations begin with a slap-up Christmas Eve meal – we’ve got lots of dinner ideas for you. Although it is unclear when the dinner became so popular, this celebration is considered one of the most Italian … And Italy certainly delivers on the food. On December 24, Italian families all over the world gather together for La Viglia di Natale—the Christmas vigil — where fish is on the menu instead of meat. The non-Italian kids might be quite jealous to find that the Italian Christmas lasts almost a month! Christmas Eve Confetti Pasta. On returning, I just boil water and saute. It seems quite unfair that the rest of the world has to wait 365 days for a celebration that only lasts 24 hours.