The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an Italo-American tradition, a grand meal to ring in Christmas Eve, when Roman Catholics celebrate the midnight birth of Jesus.
Thank you for the treasure chest of recipes, Italian culture and history. The download is a lovely little book all on its own! Thank you for it--it's very well done!
So interesting that the Feast of Seven Fishes is an Italo-American tradition-- most Italians in NYC are convinced that nothing could be more Italian. Your description of the Christmas Eve 9pm mass is beautiful!
My entire childhood, we celebrated Christmas beginning on Christmas Eve. This is typically when my aunts and uncles who live out of town would bring their families. My great grandmother was a master chef in my eyes. Our meal would always consist of bone-in ham with cloves, pineapples and cherries so neatly inserted into the scores in the skin. Chitterlings (yes, I love them), spaghetti, slaw, potato salad, chicken and dressing with giblet gravy. Wow, my mouth is watering now. Greens and green beans (which we grew in our garden), buttery rolls, cranberry sauce. Desserts were always coconut cake, sweet potato pies, caramel cake (a once a year delight!) and peach cobbler (we had peach trees in our backyard, can you say itchy!). Every now and then we would have blackberry cobbler (which has grown to be my favorite cobbler) and lemon meringue pie, where she actually cooked the meringue. Yep, those were the good old days.
Just as you say you'd like to attend a real Thanksgiving dinner, it's my life goal to attend a real Feast of the Seven Fishes! Such a lovely tradition.
We celebrate Christmas Eve. Our 6 adult children, spouses and 15 grandchildren all sit at our 17 foot table and one extra table pushed up next to it. The menu for our family has always been, for 34 years a low country boil. One huge pot cooked out side filled with crab legs, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, onions and corn on the cob. All in a spicy seasoning. The table is covered with newspapers and buckets are on the floor for scraps as we eat.
We have moved a lot, but Christmas Eve has usually been going out for a special meal and Christmas Day an English roast beef dinner with cherry chocolate hazelnut fruitcake for dessert, if we weren’t traveling. When we lived in NYC, we started the tradition of going to the 4pm Christmas Eve “family” mass and then to the Julbord dinner at Scandinavia House. When we moved to New Hampshire 3 years ago, we started creating our own Julbord for Christmas Eve dinner instead of going out. We do have smoked salmon and herring in cream sauce, but with my family’s love of seafood, I don’t know how we never did the Seven Fishes tradition, it seems like something we would do and enjoy.
Christmas Eve we meet with our nephew, his wife and daughter and go for a 'special Christmas Eve dinner' at our favorite Italian restaurant. Then it's off to midnight Mass.
Christmas Day, if I'm hosting, it's anti pasta, consisting of Roast Peppers, Olives, Salami, Mortadella, Cheeses, Artichoke hearts, Celery & Anchovies. Main course is Roast Pork with onions and potatoes, String beans Almondine, and Sauteed Mushrooms.
Dessert is a variety of home-made cookies (that the family like) fruit and nuts.
I thought about that last class and so wished I had been able to do it. It is on the “list”. We usually have an early meal Christmas Day. Around 5pm. In the past it was a Christmas goose as that’s what I grew up with. But they are getting harder to find and more expensive so this year it will be leg of lamb. I’d like to try your butternut squash crepes as I think they would fit well.
We always feasted on my mom's seafood lasagne (which included all 7 fishes) before heading to midnight mass. I just rewatched the movie The Feast of the Seven Fishes, which reminds me so much of what it's like to grow up Italian-American.
This is fabulous! We do a less classy version called Merry Fishmas 😂 I'll be sure to include some of these recipes for our Christmas lunch.
Thank you for the treasure chest of recipes, Italian culture and history. The download is a lovely little book all on its own! Thank you for it--it's very well done!
So interesting that the Feast of Seven Fishes is an Italo-American tradition-- most Italians in NYC are convinced that nothing could be more Italian. Your description of the Christmas Eve 9pm mass is beautiful!
My entire childhood, we celebrated Christmas beginning on Christmas Eve. This is typically when my aunts and uncles who live out of town would bring their families. My great grandmother was a master chef in my eyes. Our meal would always consist of bone-in ham with cloves, pineapples and cherries so neatly inserted into the scores in the skin. Chitterlings (yes, I love them), spaghetti, slaw, potato salad, chicken and dressing with giblet gravy. Wow, my mouth is watering now. Greens and green beans (which we grew in our garden), buttery rolls, cranberry sauce. Desserts were always coconut cake, sweet potato pies, caramel cake (a once a year delight!) and peach cobbler (we had peach trees in our backyard, can you say itchy!). Every now and then we would have blackberry cobbler (which has grown to be my favorite cobbler) and lemon meringue pie, where she actually cooked the meringue. Yep, those were the good old days.
Just as you say you'd like to attend a real Thanksgiving dinner, it's my life goal to attend a real Feast of the Seven Fishes! Such a lovely tradition.
Thanks ladies and thank you Giulia, un bellissimo progetto! xo, Monica
We celebrate Christmas Eve. Our 6 adult children, spouses and 15 grandchildren all sit at our 17 foot table and one extra table pushed up next to it. The menu for our family has always been, for 34 years a low country boil. One huge pot cooked out side filled with crab legs, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, onions and corn on the cob. All in a spicy seasoning. The table is covered with newspapers and buckets are on the floor for scraps as we eat.
What a treat! Thank you all for this unexpected gift.
We have moved a lot, but Christmas Eve has usually been going out for a special meal and Christmas Day an English roast beef dinner with cherry chocolate hazelnut fruitcake for dessert, if we weren’t traveling. When we lived in NYC, we started the tradition of going to the 4pm Christmas Eve “family” mass and then to the Julbord dinner at Scandinavia House. When we moved to New Hampshire 3 years ago, we started creating our own Julbord for Christmas Eve dinner instead of going out. We do have smoked salmon and herring in cream sauce, but with my family’s love of seafood, I don’t know how we never did the Seven Fishes tradition, it seems like something we would do and enjoy.
Christmas Eve we meet with our nephew, his wife and daughter and go for a 'special Christmas Eve dinner' at our favorite Italian restaurant. Then it's off to midnight Mass.
Christmas Day, if I'm hosting, it's anti pasta, consisting of Roast Peppers, Olives, Salami, Mortadella, Cheeses, Artichoke hearts, Celery & Anchovies. Main course is Roast Pork with onions and potatoes, String beans Almondine, and Sauteed Mushrooms.
Dessert is a variety of home-made cookies (that the family like) fruit and nuts.
I made myself very hungry.
Buona Natale.
I thought about that last class and so wished I had been able to do it. It is on the “list”. We usually have an early meal Christmas Day. Around 5pm. In the past it was a Christmas goose as that’s what I grew up with. But they are getting harder to find and more expensive so this year it will be leg of lamb. I’d like to try your butternut squash crepes as I think they would fit well.
We always feasted on my mom's seafood lasagne (which included all 7 fishes) before heading to midnight mass. I just rewatched the movie The Feast of the Seven Fishes, which reminds me so much of what it's like to grow up Italian-American.