An Italian Christmas Eve Dinner

The Italian Christmas Season

 

While in America the focus of the Christmas season is Christmas day (Natale), Italians celebrate this holiday on several days leading up to and even after December 25th.  The Italian Christmas season (periodo di Natale) begins on December 8th with L’Immacolata and ends with parades and a final exchange of presents on January 6th with L’Epifania. But, to many Italians, the most special celebration of the season is not Christmas day or L’Epifania, but instead Christmas Eve (la vigilia di Natale).

See the table below for a list of the important celebrations that take place in Italy during the Christmas season and some common phrases that Italians use to wish each other “happy holidays.” We first encountered these phrases in our blog, What I wish… for the holidays! 

 

L’Immacolata	Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Catholic holiday that celebrates mother Mary.
Vigilia di Natale Natale	Christmas Eve Christmas
Buon Natale! Buone Feste!	Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Auguri di buon Natale!	Best wishes for a merry Christmas!
Tanti Auguri! / Auguri!	Best wishes!
Il biglietto di auguri Natalizi Regalo di Natale	Christmas greeting card Christmas gift

L’ultimo dell’anno	New Year’s Eve
La notte di San Silvestro	December 31st is the feast day of San Silvestro for the Catholic church.
Capodanno	New Year’s Day
Buon anno nuovo! Buon anno!	Happy New Year! (used most often)
Felice anno nuovo!	Happy New Year!
L’Epifania	Epiphany: Catholic holiday that celebrates when “Wise Men” visited the baby Jesus. In Italy, gifts are exchanged on this day.   Italian tradition holds that a friendly witch, La Befana, brings gifts to children on this day, although Santa Claus is also celebrated.

 

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La Vigilia di Natale — Christmas Eve

 

What makes Christmas Eve so special in Italy?
Well, as usual for Italians, part of the answer to this question involves food!

On Christmas Eve, most Italians get dressed up and gather with their family to celebrate with a multicourse, fish-based meal follwed by midnight mass. This tradition of a grand, celebratory dinner (il cenone) has continued in many Italian-American families today, and in America is sometimes called “The Feast of the Seven Fishes.” Appetizers, pasta dishes, and main courses feature fish and shellfish, along with the usual abundance of vegetables, cheeses, and, finally, desserts.

In fact, the Catholic Church’s decree hundreds of years ago that the la Viligia di Natale should be a holy day of anticipation, to be observed at mealtimes by refraining from the consumption of meat, seems not to have deterred Italians from enjoying a special meal!  Italians have always loved the abundant seafood found in the Mediterranean Sea surrounding their peninsula.  The Italian names for the most popular fish and seafood enjoyed by Italians are listed below:

Il pesce	Fish
Il salmone	Salmon
La sogliola	Filet of sole (white fish)
La trota	Trout
Il merluzzo	Cod (fresh fish)
Il baccalà	Dried Cod  (Preserved by salting and drying, then soaked in water to desalinate and rehydrate before cooking)
Il pescespada	Swordfish
Il branzino	Sea bass
Il tonno	Tuna
I calamari	Squid
La seppia	Cuttlefish (squid-like crustacean)
Il polpo	Octopus
I gamberi	Shrimp
Gli scampi	Large, shrimp-like crustacean from the Mediterranean sea
Le capesante	Scallops
L’aragosta	Lobster
La certosina	Crayfish (small, lobster-like crustacean)
Le cozze	Mussels
Le vongole	Clams
Le ostriche	Oysters
Le acciughe	Anchovies
Le sardine	Sardines
L’anguilla	Eel
Le chiocciole	Snails
L’aringa affumicata	Smoked herring

 

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Il Cenone per La Vigilia di Natale

 

Through the years, every region in Italy has developed their own specialities for il cenone — the great feast — that is Christmas Eve dinner. Since Christmas Eve dinner is typically a multicourse meal, traditional Italian courses are usually followed: antipasto, il primo, il secondo, and il dolce.  Most families in Italy and America prepare dishes from their region that are considered essential to the holiday feast.  Italian children and adults alike look forward to enjoying their favorites at Christmas Eve dinner with great anticipation, similar to how Americans view their traditional Thanksgiving meal the month before.

 

Il Antipasto — the antipasto Course

Appetizers (gli antipasti) that start off the Christmas dinner are often fried (fritto), such as the favorite year-around treat common in American restaurants, fried squid (i calamari). A common appetizer found in the coastal regions of Italy any time of the year, fritto misto includes a platter of mixed fried fish, shellfish, and vegetables. Great platters of fresh anchovies or sardines stuffed (ripieno), or smoked (affumicato) are also commonly served for the holidays.  Grilled octopus, popular in Italy, may also make an appearance as one of the “seven fishes” for Christmas Eve on an Italian-American table.  

The usual cold antipasto platter, sectioned off to contain various preserved vegetables in their separate olive oil or vinegar dressings and regional cheeses, completes this course.  In Northern Italy, bagna cauda is a favorite year round for dipping vegetables.  And no Sicilian would consider their antipasto platter complete without a healthy portion of caponata in the center.

Of course, the entire meal, starting with the appetizers, is accompanied by the local bread and wine!

 

L’antipasto  Il fritto misto	Appetizers Mixed, fried appetizers of fish and vegetables
L’nsalata verde / L’insalata mista	Mixed lettuce greens and vegetables
I calamari fritti	Fried squid
La panzanella	Tomato and bread salad
L’insalata Caprese	Fresh tomato slices, basil, and buffalo mozzarella with olive oil
Le olive	Olives
Le verdure sottoaceto	Pickeled (mixed) vegetables
I peperoni (sottoaceto)	Peppers (pickeled)
I funghi (sottoaceto)	Muschrooms (pickeled)
I carciofi sott’olio	Artichoke hearts preserved in olive oil
La caponata	Sicilian cooked eggplant appetizer
Le acciughe	Anchovies
La Bagna Cauda	Warm olive oil, garlic, and anchovy dip for fresh or boiled vegetables from Piedomont region
Le sardine	Sardines

 

Il primo — the first course

The pasta, gnocchi, and risotto dishes served for the first course (il primo) are as varried as the regions of Italy. Pasta and gnocchi may be served with a simple red sauce. More fancy meatless pasta dishes might include manicotti, large pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, or a meatless lasagna.

In Northern Italy, pesto is a popular meatless dressing for pasta and gnocchi as well, either traditional basil pesto preserved from earlier in the season or fresh walnut pesto.  In the coastal towns of Liguria, famous for their pesto, a lasagna made of special wide egg noodles to resemble a baby’s swaddling (l’adaja), is made with by cooking the noodles in almond milk before tossing them in a walnut-garlic pesto, known as “Lasagnette all’ajada.”

In Northern and Southern Italy alike, sweet pasta dishes abound.  This tradition has not carried over to most places in America, but in Italy sweet pasta variations serve to make the first course on Christmas Eve all the more special.  In Cremona, Lombardy,  for instance, the usual tortelli are stuffed with Grana Padana cheese and a combination of fruit and amaretti cookies to make Tortelli Cremashi.

In a similar way, Italians from Naples often serve Spaghetti di Natale, or pasta with the typical arrabbiata sauce (“angry,” spicy hot, red sauce) combined with whatever dried fruit and nuts available in the pantry.  Originally made by the poorer Napolitans who could not afford fish, in the past this dish was also called, “O Sicchie da Munnezza” (The Trash Bucket) or “la Pasta al Risparmio” (Frugal Pasta).

In central Italy, where chocolate-making is a passion, Christmas Eve pasta may be served in a sweet, dark chocolate and honey sauce topped with walnuts in a dish called Maccheroni con le noci (Macheroni with walnuts). 

But for those households that want to include seven types of fishes during their cenone, it is essential that their first course include fish.  A few popular regional Italian dishes also served in America that include fish with the pasta or rice are noted below.

Spaghetti al Nero (di Seppia) Risotto al Nero (di Seppia)	Spaghetti or rice with cuttlefish (squid-like crustacean) black ink sauce. Also black pasta due to the addition of black ink, Sicily and Venice. Natural black rice (riso nero) from Venice.
Spaghetti alle Vongole	Spaghetti with clams in a light sauce, served without grated cheese.
Spaghetti ai Frutti di Mare	Spaghetti in a tomato sauce that has been cooked with seafood, usually with squid and at least two other varieties of shellfish or fish.

 

 

 

Il Secondo — the second course

For the main course (il secondo), the list of choices is endless and will depend on the fresh seafood available as well as the family’s preference.  Fish stews are popular as they can be cooked and served in one large pot and also allow one to include many of the “required” seven fishes in a single course!

For instance, Burrida is a fish stew from Genoa that can be made only with salt cod (il baccalà), but more often includes other fish found in the Mediterranean,  such as the tail of an angler fish (il rospo), mackerel (il palombo), eel (l’anguilla), and octopus (il polpo).  This combination of Mediterranean fish is not usually available in America, which led Italians along the California coast to develop their own fish stew called Cioppino. This stew uses readily available Dungeness crabs, white fish such as halibut, along with shrimp, mussels, and scallops.

Salt cod (il baccalà) is an essential part of a southern Italian Christmas Eve dinner.  There are, of course, many ways to serve salt cod, as in the stew described above, fried, or baked in a casserole dish and topped with a red sauce. Sea bass (il branzino), swordfish (il pescespada) and tuna (la tonna) dishes are also popular througout Italy.

Salt cod has fallen out of favor for the typical Sunday dinner in most modern-day Italian-American households, but Christmas Eve may be just the time to revist this special dish!  Below is a Neapolitan method for baccalà in which the fish is smothered in a simple tomato sauce prepared with capers and black olives, which go nicely with the strong flavor of the fish. (Note: this method takes at least two days, with at least 24 houors needed to soak the cod to remove the salt and rehydrate the fish.) 

Many Italian home-cooks and chefs are now on You Tube showing how to make authentic Italian food.  Read the recipe below in Italian to become familiar with the vocabulary for many of the classic methods used in Italian cooking.

If you prepare this dish, make sure to serve it with lots of Italian bread to mop up the excess sauce, which in Italian is called “fare la scarpetta.”

 

Salt Cod Neapolitan Style
Baccalà alla Napoletana

Step 1 — Soak the salt cod (at least 24 hours prior to cooking)

Soak the dried salt cod in cold water for at least 24 hours, changing the water every 8 hours, until it has softened.
Immergere il baccalà in acqua fredda per almeno 24 ore, cambiando l’acqua ogni 8 ore, finché si sarà ammorbidito.

 

Step 2  — Make the tomato sauce

Lightly brown 2 cloves of crushed garlic in about ¼ cup olive oil in a pot.
Rosolare leggermente 2 spicchi d’aglio schiacciati in circa 1/4 di tazza di olio d’oliva in una pentola.

Add 1 pound of peeled tomatoes, either fresh or canned, 1 tablespoon of drained, chopped capers, and 10-15 black olives (use jarred olives that have been pitted).
Aggiungere 1 libbra di pomodori sbucciati, freschi o in scatola, 1 cucchiaio di capperi scolati, tritati e 10-15 olive nere (usare olive in barattolo che sono state snodate).

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Condire a gusto con sale e pepe nero appena macinato.

Cook about 15 – 20  minutes, to allow the flavors to blend.
Cuocere per circa 15 – 20 minuti, per permettere ai sapori di amalgamarsi.

Keep warm on the stovetop.
Tenere al caldo sul fornello.

 

Step 3  — Cook the salt cod

Remove the skin and bones from the salt cod.
Rimuovere la buccia e le ossa dal baccalà.

Rinse, and pat dry.  Cut the softened cod into 2 inch squares.
Sciacquare e tamponare.  Tagliare il baccalà ammorbidito in quadrati da 2 pollici.

Coat with flour and deep fry in olive oil until golden brown.
Ricoprire con farina e friggere in olio d’oliva finché non diventa dorato.

Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
Rimuovere e mettere su un piatto con sopra della carta assorbente per drenare l’olio in eccesso.

 

Step 4  — Bake the salt cod in the tomato sauce

Line a baking dish with tomato sauce.
Bagnare una teglia da forno con salsa di pomodoro.

Place the salt cod into the baking dish.
Mettere il baccalà nella teglia da forno.

Top the salt cod with the tomato sauce.
Sovrapporre il baccalà alla salsa di pomodoro.

Bake at 350° until warmed through.
Cuocere a 350° finché non è ben riscaldato.

 

 

Il Dolce — the dessert course

After a short respite while the dining table is cleared of the main course dishes, fruit and nuts take center stage, as they have for millenia in Italy. Usually this includes fresh oranges (le arancie), figs (i fichi), dates (i datteri), and walnuts (i noci).  These treats are followed by special cakes, now also sold in the United States, such as Panettone and Pandoro, Christmas cookies (cuccidati iced fig cookies for Southern Italians), and sweets, such as torrone.  Every family has their own special sweet treats to present as the finale for their Christmas Eve dinner.

Of note, the December issues of Fra Noi are filled with traditional cookie recipes to delight young and old! Try one and start a family tradition!

 

We have listed just a few off the many treats anticipated by
Italian families on la Vigilia di Natale.
Of course, the list of Italian dishes served for this cenone is endless!

What is the tradition in your Italian family?
Feel free to leave a comment to share your family’s favorite Christmas Eve dish!

 

Buon appetito!
Enjoy your Italian Christmas Eve Dinner!

and

Auguri di Buon Natale!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!

 

Conversational Italian for Travelers “Just the Verbs” and “Just the Grammar”
are available on Amazon.com and www.LearnTravelItalian.com