Caio! I’m back already with another post, this time research on pasta dishes in Italy around the holidays.
Italy is comprised mainly of people who practice the Catholic religion, therefore celebrating holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Christmas Eve dinner is called “il cenone” or “the big dinner”, it’s a time for eating a ton of delicious food with family. Meat is traditionally not eaten on this, so families will cook dishes of pasta or seafood. Keep in mind that within each region and family, dishes may vary.
Christmas in Italy is a huge deal! As a popular saying goes, “Natale con i tuoi e Pasqua con chi vuoi,” or, “Spend Christmas with your family and Easter with whomever you like.” This is the holiday to spend time with family and cook extravagant meals.
I grew up thinking all families in Italy carried out the tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes and ate seven or more seafood dishes on Christmas Eve. Turns out this tradition was adopted by Italian-Americans, but did originate in from the religious belief to not eat meat on the eve of any holiday. To this day my family prepares seven different seafood dishes for everyone to enjoy on our Christmas Eve celebration.
In Italy, traditional pasta dishes are sweet and savory! Here are some recipe examples from different regions:
Spaghetti alle vongole (Spaghetti with clams)
- A popular dish in the Campania region
- One of many pasta dishes with seafood for Christmas Eve
Lasagne da fornel
- Common in Northern Italy in regions such as Veneto and Fruili-Venezia
- Savory lasagne layered with apples, dried fruits, nuts, and poppy seeds
- Link to the recipe is here
Tortelli Cremaschi
- A dish mostly seen in the Lombardy region
- The recipe differs from family to family
- The Tortelli are stuffed with foods ranging from cheese to fruit to amaretti cookies
- Most family’s ‘secret’ ingredient added to the filling is crushed up mint candies
- Link to the recipe is here
Maccheroni con le noci
- Walnut macaroni with a dark chocolate sauce topped with honey and walnuts
- Typically found in Lazio and Umbria
- Recipes for pastas including chocolate date back to 1680
- Link to the recipe is here
In Italy, Christmas Day is celebrated by families over a large lunch and where meat is brought back into meals. Historically, especially in Southern Italy, Christmas Day was the time for poor people to eat like rich people. Typical pasta dishes on Christmas Day that are also eaten on other Catholic holidays such as Easter include tortellini in brodo (tortellini in broth) and pasta al forno (an “everything but the kitchen sink” baked pasta).
As much as I love pasta, there are other dishes other than pasta for holidays. To learn more about traditional Italian dishes throughout the regions, check out this link.
Thanks for reading 🙂
Sources:
https://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/italys-christmas-eve-pasta
How Italians Do Christmas: The Foods You’ll Find on Every Table
https://www.eataly.com/us_en/magazine/culture/holidays-from-north-to-south/
Megan's Italian Table 