Feast of the Seven Fishes

The holidays are right around the corner, and I’m already looking forward to planning my holiday menu. I love celebrating my Italian heritage during the holidays with many related traditions. Some of the most delicious traditions during the holidays come from Italian homes. While Italians seem to always be interested in food, especially during the many holidays throughout the year, Christmas always seems to be a priority. Apart from many religious traditions, this is the time every year when celebratory meals are prepared, and families come together to enjoy this special season. One of the most popular traditions followed every Christmas is La Vigilia, or the Feast of the Seven Fishes, which is celebrated on Christmas Eve. This year we are in our new home closer to our family, so I am excited to host our Seven Fish Feast this Christmas. I’ll be working on a few new seafood recipes to use on my menu over the next few weeks, and I’ll share them with you soon!

The tradition of eating seafood at Christmas dates back to the medieval Catholic tradition of abstinence, or in this case, abstaining from consuming meat or dairy products on Fridays and certain holy days. As no meat or butter could be used, observant Catholics ate fish, often fried in olive oil. The type of seafood prepared for this feast is the same for most families as there are always seven combinations of anchovies, sardines, dried salt cod, smelts, eels, squid, octopus, prawns, mussels, oysters and clams. Spaghetti with sardines is a typical pasta served for this meal. At the same time, several other seafood choices are often mixed into a seafood salad that is eaten as a first course or appetizer.

While researching the background of this tradition, I was surprised to learn that it is not always the seven seafood dishes that are prepared. Some feel that seven different types of seafood should be served, while others traditionally serve ten or thirteen fish dishes each Christmas. The seven fish are believed to represent the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, while the others celebrate the Stations of the Cross. The thirteen dishes are said to represent Jesus in addition to the twelve apostles. Whatever your beliefs, plan an incredible seafood feast this year, gather around your friends and family and enjoy the season. Here are some of my favorite seafood dishes. Choose a few to plan your personal Italian Christmas Eve menu. Add a few vegetable side dishes and a delicious dessert, and enjoy!