Italy is a big country with many regions, and every different region has their various Christmas habits. One part is common though: carousing! This is really the time of ‘mangiare e bere’ more than anytime of the year.
At Christmas eve fish dishes are dominant normally everywhere then the next day shows more diversity regarding the menus: variations of meat and pasta dishes not to mention our favourite sweet treats like pandoro, panettone or struffoli!
Caciucco a.k.a zuppa di pesce alla livornese is a common treat on Christmas Eve. It’s a heavy meal indeed: a thick soup with tomato, toast and 13 various species of fish, clams and crabs. Amongst others: octopus, calamari, rock salmon, seabass.
In the north people prefer meat dishes such as carbonade (which is beef cooked in red vine if we want to put it simply) but cold cuts made of goat or sheep also have a hype.
Emilia Romagna takes place in the middle of the country, tortellini in brodo, lasagna and culatello are the most common things on the festive table, then torrone or panpepato for dessert.
South Italian Christmas celebration is the one you must have seen in some of the mafia films or series: clams, spaghetti, friselle, struffoli, cassate and cannoli are pretty popular!
Good huh?
And the best thing is that you can buy all the ingredients to prepare any of these dishes above , so next year you can promise yourself and your guests: No more freakin bejgli!
