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Nov. 7 - Nov.14, 2004 |
Christmas, Italian Style
The tastes and scents of a traditional Italo holiday dinner
By Rita Simonetta
Originally Published: 2003-12-28
Italy's Christmas traditions can be traced back to the Roman Empire. The ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia from December 17 to December 24. The celebration honoured Saturn, the god of the harvest. After a feast, families might go out to the local churches to view nativity scenes, or presepi. Italy's famous presepi, which are presented throughout the country, are crafted from everything from wood to plaster to clay, and artists throughout the different regions create their own mini masterpieces. Carving presepi figures is considered an art form, particularly in Naples, where the tradition dates back several centuries.
Decades ago, Italy had a kindly witch named La Befana, who gave out toys on January 6 for the Epiphany. However, nowadays, the jolly man in red (Babbo Natale) is just as common throughout the boot-shaped country.
In some Italian cities and regions, Christmas Eve dinner consists of fish and seafood, and plenty of it. Some parts of Italy still hold to the traditional seven-fish platter, in honour of the seven sacraments, while others serve 12 types of fish for the 12 apostles.
A traditional Roman Christmas Eve dish is Capitone - roasted, grilled, fried or baked eel. Grilling eel is probably your best bet since eel meat is oilier than that of many other fish and best suited to the grill. For this recipe, combine the fish with garlic, olive oil, vinegar and a bay leaf. Grill the pieces over a medium flame for about a half hour, turning them frequently and basting them with olive oil.
Southern Italians are fond of baccalá (salted dried cod fish), which is made in a variety of ways. It can be cooked in a spicy tomato sauce that includes black olives. Always resourceful, Italian cooks sometimes also use this sauce for a pasta dish. Versatile baccalá can also be served "white," - simply dress it up with olive oil, crushed garlic, parsley, hot peppers, and salt and pepper to taste.
Then there's the elaborate caponata di pesce (fish salad). This dish involves quite a bit of time and preparation but it's a feast that won't soon be forgotten.
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