The Story of 7 Fishes and Christmas Eve

What's Cookin Italian Cuisine and 7 Fishes Blog Recipes (Click on title for recipes)

A Traditional Italian Christmas Eve with 7 Fishes

As long as I can remember Grandma Victoria and Grandpa John were the beginning of many family traditions. When they both came to this country from Italy, Rome Region, they had nothing, and soon they built their lives here together having several children who continued these family traditions and we were fortunate that our dad was one of them . As time went on, they have passed down to all of us kids these wonderful traditions and mom and dad made even more traditions of their own....now we are that next generation to keep all these wonderful traditions going .... many memories of years gone by, but the great times will continue on through the next generation and families to come... A wonderful journey into our Italian Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas to all…with love…

Grandma Victoria Ferraro and Grandpa John Colenzo Where it all began......... YEAR 1927

The 7 fishes we would make were, crab, lobster, shrimp cocktail, salmon, fried shrimp , scampi, fried haddock, fried scallops, fried and stuffed calamari, baccala(cod) the list can go on and on every kind of fish is welcome and yes more than seven on our table, so if any are missing no problem add them to the list.... link to recipe below Click here for some of these fish recipes .

Here shown is crab, haddock, salmon, lobster, scallops, shrimp and calamari. Some of these recipes can be found here .

We would leave the tree on throughout the night Christmas Eve and all of Christmas Day.

Natale," the Italian word for Christmas, is literally the translation for "birthday."

Years gone by, the family has changed and many have past on, memories and traditions will carry on through our children as we instill these.

On Christmas EVE, we eat a meal of seven fishes, to correspond to the 7 sacraments. With the older generation women in our family, it was an event to buy the fish along with cleaning and cooking it . All the women in the family would get together to do this. It was an important event for the holiday.

Feast of Seven Fishes
The Feast of Seven Fishes originated in southern Italy and is practiced today by many Italian American families.
In celebration of the birth of baby Jesus, many Roman Catholics do not eat meat on Christmas Eve. Instead, a feast of seafood and shellfish is prepared. Why seven different types of fishes? Tradition tells that it is because God took seven days to create the universe.

Always a huge night of fun and anticipation for Christmas morning to come.
We will have shrimp cocktail, clams on the half shell, mussels, linguine and clam sauce, calamari, crab legs and lobster tails. Smelts, baccala and many others are added along with the 7 regulars.

Antipasto Antipasto is basically an appetizer consisting of Mozzarella, Provolone, Olives, Roasted Peppers, Hot Peppers, Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Fresh Italian/French Bread. Usually it would have meat such as prosciutto, salami, pepperoni.

Even though the dinner is called the "seven" fishes, we never let that hold us back from serving 12, 15, sometimes 20 different fish dishes. And the more exotic the species of fish, the better, too.

Number one on the menu was always squid stuffed and in tomato sauce. You've probably eaten squid fried, called calamari.

We also had eel, usually sauteed or stewed..

Of course we always had to have baccala. Baccala is salted, dried cod fish. You had to soak it in water before cooking it to soften it and remove some of the salt.

Also on the menu were fried smelts (fresh sardines), salmon, tuna, baked whitefish, fried halibut, and fish stew. You really need to make what your family loves like we do... all of it!

And no Christmas Eve was complete without vermicelli or capellini pasta with anchovy sauce.

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Some think it symbolizes the seven days it took Joseph and Mary to get to Bethlehem. Others think it symbolizes the seven sacraments in the Catholic church. There are other theories, as well. No doubt the controversy will continue long after I am gone as well.

We always had lots of left over fish the next day.

Dinner will spread over several hours, and pinochele started around 9pm in the evening till having to leave for midnight mass, the family always loved a good game of pinochele . The little ones would always want to open one gift that night, the excitement was overwhelming, so most of the time we would give in, had to be from grandma.

Our desserts were plentiful also. Starting with assorted nuts in the shell roasted, along with chestnuts we would boil, panetone, struffoli, pea's and cue's, at least 14 kinds of Italian cookies, cannoli, pusties, krispelles, pizzelle, rum filled pastry,fruit cake, torrone candy, followed by black Italian coffee and Sambucca annisette just to name a few .


Religious Services / Midnight Mass

Many Roman Catholics and Anglicans celebrate Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. churches celebrate Holy Communion in a solemn service lit only by the candles of the Lord's Table.


So many years of family get togethers, memorable foods that began a lifetime of tradition to pass on, and still today we look forward to what our ancestors started.

Although somewhat now americanized, we still have the bond in our family to recreate the past of loving memories of what we still believe is the way to celebrate the birth of Christ. Togetherness, in the kitchen and with love, our Italian traditions live on.



Here are some of the Region Specialties:



ABRUZZO: Lu rintrocilio,pasta with a sauce of mutton, pork, chili, and grated pecorino.
BASILICATA: Piccilatied,bread with almonds.
CALABRIA: Quazunìelli,dough pockets filled with raisins, walnuts, cooked must (pulp of crushed grapes), and cinnamon.
CAMPANIA: Insalata di rinforzo,cauliflower, pickled vegetables, peppers, Gaeta olives, and salted anchovies. Fried eel is another favorite of all Neapolitans tables. While waiting for midnight mass, on Christmas Eve, people like to snack on fruit and mixed nuts.
EMILIA ROMAGNA: Panettone di Natale,bread made with candied fruit, honey, cocoa, dark chocolate, and dried figs.
FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA: Brovada e muset,soup of turnips and cotechino, cooked pork sausage, served with polenta.
LAZIO: Pangiallo,bread made with dried fruit, candied peels, honey, and chocolate.
LIGURIA: Pandolce ,bread made with raisins, candied pumpkin, essence of orange flowers, pine nuts, fennel seeds, milk, and marsala.
LOMBARDY: Cappone ripieno ,capon stuffed with a mix of ground meat, mortadella, and hard-boiled eggs. It's served with mostarda di Cremona, fruit preserve spiced with mustard oil.
MARCHE: Pizza de Natà ,bread made with walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, chocolate, grated lemon and orange peel, and figs.
MOLISE: Pizza di Franz in brood ,pieces of pizza dough, baked in the oven with eggs, parmigiano, and parsley.
PIEDMONT: Insalata di carne cruda all'albese--beef filet tartar scented with white truffles.
PUGLIA: Carteddate ,rose shaped using an iron, fried cookies drizzled with honey.
SARDINIA: Pabassinas, sweets made with almonds, walnuts, raisins, anis seeds.
SICILY: Mustazzoli ,sweets made with almonds, cinnamon, and cloves.
TUSCANY: Brodo di cappone in tazza consommé of capon.
TRENTINO: Canederli ,balls of flour, eggs, old bread, speck, pancetta, and salami.
UMBRIA: Panpepato ,bread with walnuts, chocolate, almonds, candied fruit, honey, pine nuts, hazelnuts, pepper, and red wine.
VALLE D'AOSTA: Carbonata--strips of meat soaked in wine and aromatic herbs, served with polenta.
VENETO: Ravioli in brodo di cappone--ravioli cooked in capon broth.
ZEPPOLE: representative of the area of Sorrento, are small, fried ricotta doughnut-like cookies dusted with confectioner's sugar that must be served warm.

For Italians, Christmas represents family…and food and love!