Cynthia Ferich

980.292.1255

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Welcome!
  • Cynthia
    • Inspiration
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
  • Blog
  • Press
    • Media Advisory
    • TV Videos
    • FAQ
    • In The News
  • Services
    • Book Signings
    • Cooking Class Schedule
    • Cooking Classes
      • Cooking Classes Registration
    • Events
    • Interactive Home Dinner Parties
    • Personal Chef Services and Cooking Classes
    • Speaker
    • Contact for Services
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Breads, Pizza, Muffins
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Cooking Tips
    • Desserts
    • Drinks & Cocktails
    • Fish & Meats
    • Fowl
    • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Just For Kids
    • Pasta & Rice
    • Pies
    • Salads & Sauces
    • Salute’!
    • Skinny Plates
    • Soups
    • This & That
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • Shop & Products
    • Cookbooks
    • E-Book
  • Contact
  • TV Videos
  • Video Cooking Tips

“Feast of the 7 Fishes” ~ An Italian Tradition!

December 20, 2010 By Cynthia Ferich

Pin
Share
Tweet

So often I am asked:  What is The Feast of the 7 Fishes?

According to Wikipedia’s encyclopedia definition, The Feast of the Seven Fishes (festa dei sette pesci), celebrated on Christmas Eve, also known as The Vigil (La Vigilia), is believed to have originated in Southern Italy and is not a known tradition in many parts of Italy. Today, it is a completely Italian-American feast that typically consists of seven different seafood dishes. Some Italian American families have been known to celebrate with 9, 11 or 13 different seafood dishes. This celebration is a commemoration of the wait, Vigilia, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.

The Meaning of Tradition and Symbolism?

The long tradition of eating seafood on Christmas Eve dates from the medieval Roman tradition of abstinence – in this case, refraining from the consumption of meat or milk products—on Fridays and specific holy days. As no meat or butter could be used, observant Catholics would instead eat fish, typically fried in oil.

There are many hypotheses for what the number “7” relates to, one being the number of Sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church.  Another theory is that seven is a number representing perfection: the traditional Biblical number for divinity is three, and for Earth is four, and the combination of these numbers, seven, represents God on Earth, or Jesus Christ.

The “Feast of the Seven Fishes”, a celebration of Christmas Eve with meals of fish and seafood, but there may be seven, eight, or even nine specific fishes that are considered traditional. The most famous dish Southern Italians are known for is Baccala (salted cod fish). A reason for celebrating with such a simple fish as Baccalà is attributed to the greatly impoverished regions of Southern Italy. Fried Smelts, calamari, and other types of seafood have been incorporated into the Christmas Eve dinner over the years.

However you celebrate this festive season, weave tradition (old and new) into your celebration. 

Blessings of the Season to you and yours…

Cynthia

 

Pin
Share
Tweet

Share this:

  • Share
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Email

Filed Under: Celebrations, Christmas Buon Natale!, Cooking with Noni Tagged With: american feast, baby jesus, celebration of christmas, christmas eve, christmas eve dinner, cod fish, encyclopedia definition, feast of the 7 fishes, feast of the seven fishes, festive season, fish and seafood, fried smelts, la vigilia, roman catholic church, roman tradition, salted cod, seafood dishes, southern italians, southern italy, wikipedia

About Cynthia Ferich

After writing and self-publishing “MaMa Mia Cucina” in 2007, Cynthia's writing, cooking and culinary teachings evolved into being as an entity surrounding food, fun, family and friends.

In an effort to capture her family’s ‘old world’ Italian recipes for future generations to enjoy, her grandmother, ‘Noni’, and Cynthia joined forces. "She measured, I wrote, and we cooked."

During her grandmother's latter 80 years, she traveled in memory through her life, as they shared in stories of a lifetime and long ago. As they shared this final chapter in her life, what Cynthia soon discovered through all of the measuring, cooking, sharing in the love of a family, and in the love of a friendship, was the passion for cooking, and a love that nourishes us all… It’s all about the FOOD!

Comments

  1. maria wittig says

    December 26, 2011 at 4:07 pm

    Please can I have your Baccala-salted cod recipe.
    Thank you,

    Maria

  2. Cynthia Goch says

    December 26, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    Hi Maria,
    My grandmother’s Baccala recipe just posted in the blog.
    Thanks for your request.
    Enjoy your holidays,
    Cynthia

MaMa Mia Cucina Cookbook

Purchase YOUR copy of MaMa Mia Cucina

Recent Blog Posts

  • Strawberry Muffin Recipe
  • Hot Fudge Sauce
  • Italian Greens and Beans Recipe
  • Banana Bread Recipe

Sign up for Cynthia’s Favored Recipes & News!

Testimonials

I met Cynthia and was immediately taken in by her charm and passion for cooking. She presented me … Read More

You’ll Find Me Here

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright Tastes and Time, LLC