Posted on 11/11/2017 1:08:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition to ring in Christmas Eve, when Roman Catholics celebrate the midnight birth of Jesus, known in Italian as "La Viglia." Fish is a traditional ingredient in the Christmas Eve dinner because custom calls for the eschewing of red meat leading up to the holiday. The Culinary Institute of America has provided a recipe to celebrate this tradition.
For a holiday so widely celebrated, the traditions surrounding Christmas are as unique as the ornaments that decorate your tree. From decor, songs, stories and gifts, Christmas looks a little bit different in every home across the world, but of course, here at The Culinary Institute of America, we’re especially interested in what’s on the table.....
(Excerpt) Read more at cruxnow.com ...
Think I’ll have lobster and steak. Again.
My Italian cousins by marriage make chicken pepperoni on Christmas Eve.
In all the thirty something years I got to spend with my Roman Catholic Italian grandmother I cannot recall her serving fish EVER.
Why not fish? The pilgrims ate cod.
Our family has a tradition of pizza—the more pepperoni, then better—on Christmas Eve. We will eat buffalo wings, however.
Ping!
The first Christians were fishermen, so fish is appropriate.
I do the clams mussels and shrimp part of that. In red sauce of course.
Great memories.... My off-the-boat Italian Gandma would spend every Christmas Eve with us. She came from poverty around Bisceglia, Italy, and her life in the States was pretty poor, too.
The only fish she ever made for Christmas Eve was salt cod. Which we kids never touched.
We had homemade pizzas, some filled with cheeses and eggs, onion pies; the “tadads” and “frisades”....
Christmas morning was ALWAYS and still is fried dough.
Dinner was lasagna with meatballs, sausage, etc, antipasta, roast beef or ham, trimmings, baskets of garlic bread, and the kids would get soda mixed with wine :)
and once we fell asleep all over the house the adults would play cards, drink wine, coffee and cocktails, eat roasted chestnuts and cakes, talk in Italian, smoke til the window had to be opened...
Oh my heart..... the best of days for all, I am certain. Sure miss my family....
BUT, hey, I found this web site some time ago, looking for the semolina noodles Grandma would make for turkey soup. Give it a look, he’s got authentic recipes here:
https://spaghettisauceandmeatballs.com/
No Italian editors at the AP? It’s “vigilia” (vigil) not “viglia”.
The vigil of Christmas was a fast day for all Latin Catholics before the 1960s: no meat, and only one full meal. This year though it’s on Sunday, so I’m guessing no fast even for us traddy types.
That's right. Good Friday and Ash Wednesday are the only true full fast days left according to current law. There used to be a lot more, and Christmas Eve was one of them.
Pilgrims? Christmas?
Keep the Mass in Christmas.
That’s right baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A meal to die for...
I had it once and it was AWFUL. Try spaghetti with olive oil and garlic. Ummm
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