The Feast Of The Seven Fishes Tradition: A Creative Way To Celebrate Christmas Eve Dinner

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There are many diverse ways that people celebrate the winter holidays. One of them is a speal dinner on Christmas Eve called the Feast Of The Seven Fishes. The tradition is observed by many Italian-Americans, but not in Italy. What is the Feast Of The Seven Fishes tradition, and why do Italian-Americans celebrate it?

The Feast Of The Seven Fishes And How Some Italian-Americans Celebrate Christmas Eve Dinner #FeastOfTheSevenFishes #holidaytraditions Share on X

What is the Feast Of The Seven Fishes?

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, also known as “Festa dei Sette Pesci,” is a special way to celebrate Christmas Eve dinner with friends and family. It features a menu of seven delicious seafood dishes.

Is the Feast celebrated in Italy?

Oddly enough, no. The Feast Of The Seven Fishes is an Italian-American tradition, not an Italian tradition. It began in the United States in the early 1900s as a way for Italian-Americans to rekindle their connection to the Old Country in Italy.

Is the Feast Of The Seven Fishes tradition growing in popularity?

Absolutely. The Feast started gaining popularity with Italian families in America in the 1980s and 1990s. For many Italian Americans, the Feast was just something they might do when celebrating with their Italian family members.

But over the years, TV news segments and cooking shows, like Iron Chef, have done a lot to raise awareness of the Feast. There was even a movie made in 2019 called The Feast Of The Seven Fishes.

So, what’s the connection between fish, the number seven, and Christmas Eve?

No one knows for sure, but it’s widely believed that Feast grew organically from the following…

• Seven: In the Bible, there are several numbers that have very special meanings. Seven is especially important to Roman Catholics because of the seven hills of Rome and seven days of creation, among others.
• Fish: Falling somewhere between a religious obligation and a popular custom, many Catholics abstain from eating meat on certain days. This may include every Friday or the eve of holidays, like Christmas. For those observing this practice, fish is typically prepared in place of meat.
• Christmas Eve: In Southern Italy, Catholics have a tradition called “La Vigilia” or The Vigil. They gather and wait until midnight on Christmas Eve to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus.

Just try to imagine a bunch of people gathered together on Christmas Eve who are only supposed to eat fish. All it took was for someone to attach a number to the night and the Feast Of The Seven Fishes tradition was born.

Can you do more than seven fish?

Sure. Despite the name, it is not uncommon to find more than seven seafood dishes at a Feast. There are some ambitious groups that prefer to do fourteen or more fish.

What’s should you do if you are missing a fish dish for the Feast?

When preparing for a meal consisting of seven or more fish dishes, it’s not uncommon to fall short. For example, what if you are having a Feast Of The Seven Fishes dinner party and someone who had committed to bringing a fish dish cancels at the last minute?

If you need to improvise, just grab a can of tuna from the pantry. You can easily convert canned tuna into an appetizer spread for crackers, crostini bread, or sliced baguettes. Just add olive oil, salt, pepper, some capers, parsley, or celery, a squirt of lemon juice, and then a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. It also makes a great sandwich. That’s the basic recipe for an Italian Tuna sandwich served at traditional Italian delis on Fridays.

What types of fish are typically severed during the Feast?

That’s one of the fun parts of the Feast Of The Seven Fishes tradition: basically anything goes. Popular seafood choices can include cod, calamari, shrimp, clams, mussels, anchovies, and crab among others. Some of the dishes can be cooked, while others can be served raw. But ultimately, the menu is up to you! Some popular dishes include Fritto Misto Di Mare (Fried Mixed Seafood), Brodetto Di Branzino (Wild Sea Bass Soup), and Crudo Di Pesce (Fish Tartare).

Since the Feast Of The Seven Fishes isn’t an official holiday, there are no “rules”. Besides the obvious premise of using fish in your recipes, each chef has complete creative control. Also, your Feast Of The Seven Fishes menu doesn’t have to be exclusively Italian seafood. Feel free to get creative. Yes, sushi counts.

The most important part is to have fun while you prepare a collection of dishes for everyone to enjoy.

What about a dessert fish?

No, thanks. Most Iatlians would rather finish the Feast with a cup of coffee and a traditional Italian dessert. A great way to finish your Feast would be to serve a slice of(Amazon link) Pannetone, some struffoli (honey balls), or a fresh cannoli.

Explore the tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes, a popular Italian-American holiday tradition. #holidaytraditions #christmaseve #seasidefeast #feastofthesevenfishes #italianamerican Share on X