Italian Holiday Traditions

Regardless of your religion, getting together with friends and family during the holiday season has become an American tradition. But how are the holidays celebrated in Italy? Read below on suggestions and tips for adding a little “Italian Flavor” to your holiday celebration.

Christmas Eve – Feast of the Seven Fishes
According to Wikipedia, The “Feast of the Seven Fishes” is said to have come from Southern Italy, but today is a completely Italian-American celebration. A dinner on Christmas Eve is celebrated with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional.

The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is Baccalà (salted cod fish). Reason for celebrating with such a simple fish as Baccalà is attributed to the impoverished regions of Southern Italy.

Fried Smelts, calamari, and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years, and sensationalized with the American version of “The Seven Fishes.” Why seven? Seven is a very important number. It stands for the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. The seven days of creation. In Biblical numerology, seven is a number of perfection.

Christmas Day Meal
Lasting hours and varying throughout the different regions of Italy, Christmas dinner will almost certainly start with some prosecco, include pasta and end with panettone. Like so many other Italian feasts, the first course is usually a selection of antipasti, including salami and Parma ham, and a glass or two of sparkling prosecco. Following the antipasti is a hearty filled pasta dish such as ravioli or tortellini. And they’re just getting started… Most families will follow the pasta with a roast – often poultry, served with lashings of vegetables; others might have a local meaty specialty, such as a stuffed pig’s trotter. Although Italians don’t usually indulge much in desserts, at Christmas most people will make an exception and follow the meat course with some panettone – a light but buttery sponge cake. In some regions people might also have some pandolce, a heavy fruit cake with pine nuts.

In Naples, Struffoli are an absolute requirement at the end of a Neapolitan Christmas day dinner. Struffoli, deep fried balls of dough about the size of marbles, are crunchy on the outside and light inside. They are traditionally served with honey with bits of orange rind and chopped nuts — sticky but delicious!

Want to try making Struffoli in your kitchen? Chris Fernandez, VP of Culinary Operations for Piatti, shares his favorite Struffoli recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbs powdered sugar
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup clover or mild honey

Instructions

1. Add flour to a large mixing bowl – make a well in the center.
2. Add eggs, salt to the well and knead until smooth.
3. Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
4. Heat oil to 350F.
5. Roll the dough out on floured board to 1/4″ thickness
6. Cut into ½” strips, cut those strips into small pieces 1/2 inch long.
7. Roll into balls
8. Place into the oil a few at a time.
9. Cook till golden, turning them over so they cook evenly.
10. Remove balls and drain them on paper towels.
11. Place honey and sugar in a saucepan, boil over low heat about 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
12. Add fried cookies a small batch at a time and cook in honey syrup, stirring constantly till evenly coated
13. Carefully place the cookies on a non stick surface to cool