The Big Day

In a perfect world I'd bombard you folks with pictures and video of today's preparations - but I'm not so sure that's going to happen.  We have been absolutely swamped getting ready for the Feast - and the fact I've been under the weather hasn't helped.  Last night I rallied enough to help Shannon make a ton of fresh pasta for the anchovy pasta dish.  And we seem to have pulled together everything we need otherwise.  This year's menu is a bit slimmed down - we've already done baccala twice for demos and decided to go easy on ourselves.  So we're having smelt and calamari and a variety of fried fish and the anchovy pasta and oysters and - I think - a grilled octopus.  We may not have seven separate fish but we'll for sure have seven dishes so I think we're safe.  I just hope we find a minute to upload some visuals - but if not during the day for sure in the days ahead.  Here's hoping your own Feast of the Seven Fishes is a memorable and delicious one.

Buon Natale!
Bob

Comments

[JoeJoe86]

Hi, i'm italian and i come from Bologna, in Northern Italy

Sorry but doesn't exist a "Feast of seven fishes" (?!?!) in Italy. Both north and south.

i think it's a typical italian-"AMERICAN" feast. But please, don't call "typical" italian feast because isn't true. Just like spaghetti and "meatballs" (meatballs? A spaghetti dish just need salt, olive oil, fresh tomato, basil and garlic or onion...stop!..nothing else!)

It's true that in we eat fish dishes in Christmas but, again, it depends from region to region: in Lombardy there is Risotto (Rice in thousand kinds), in Emilia there is Lasagne al forno. The fish in Christmas holidays it's a tradition for all catholic countries (Spain, France, Poland).

However isn't "Feast of Seven fishes" (7 dishes???? Oh my god! i don't know anybody who can eat 7 dishes in a day! if i eat this launch i could die the day after!), but it's just "Christmas Day launch" (Pranzo di Natale).

For dessert if you want to try something authentic italian search on google Panettone, Pandoro and Struffoli!

[Dominic]

Caro JoeJoe86,

I'm Italian and I originally come from Sicily, in Southern Italy. I hope I am sufficiently Italian to respond to your Northern Italian sensibilities.

Simply put, the Feast of Seven Fishes DOES EXIST - maybe not in your part of Italy, or even in my part, but it certainly does in many parts of Italy, including Calabria, Abruzzi and Molise - and most importantly in parts of the Italian Diaspora - la Italia all'Estero - in Canada, Australia, South America and the USA. It's we immigrants who have kept many traditions, along with local dialects, alive and well. Italy barrels along toward a national language and unified TV culture - but once, Italy was made up of varying traditions, as many as the local saints and festivals of each region.

No one told Bob's immigrant grandparents and great-grandparents that the Feast of Seven Fishes didn't exist, because it was celebrated every Christmas. It existed for them in Calabria and they brought it with them to America. That's how it is with traditions - if they are good, fun, and especially tasty, they will last.

As a child in Sicily in the early 1950's our main decoration was 'la presepe'- the creche. I have no recollection of Christmas trees. I'm sure there was a version of someone like you then, who when he saw a Christmas tree in Bolzano, said "Sorry but doesn't exist a 'Christmas tree' (?!?!) in Italy. Both north and south." Yet, they did exist in that small pocket of German Italy - and when that uniquely Northern European tradition caught on Christmas trees spread everywhere throughout Italy.

This Feast of Seven Fishes has existed for generations and now, with the help of the wonderful work being done by Bob and Shannon, it will continue to exist and be nurtured in a small, Italian pocket of West Virginia. It's a Christmas seed that will grow and grow - and mark my words, in the future there will be many Feasts of the Seven Fishes across the United States. Who knows, it may even take hold in Bologna - where too many of you have hung onto the tradition of being 'full of bologna.' ;)

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo!

-- Dominic

PS: Just wanted to tell you that I love the food of your Emilia- Romagna region and am very happy that many of your traditional foods have spread to the rest of us.

[Carol Jose]

My maiden name was Carol Sue Lanza, now Carol Jose. My grandparents were from Sicily:Palermo and Castelbuono. We always had what my grandma Josie called Abbondanza--La Festa di Pesce...and my father called Seven Fishes in Seven Dishes. My grandma explained that the seven seas gave up its "abbondanza" (abundance) to feed the people, and therefore the people saved to thank God for the seas, the earth and for this abbondanza, with a feast on Christmas Eve. We traditionally had chunks of smoked eel with tomato sauce, baccala prepared in some form (Venetian creamy white baccala paste is my favorite, but we never had that until I went to Venice and enjoyed it there as an adult.) There was also usually stuffed squid, sometimes pasta with squid ink, a seafood salad that contained squid tentacles, scungille, and clams; there was often pasta with clam sauce, mussels in some form--usually with macaroni in a red sauce. Or, on the half-shell dressed with my Mom's "Nana's Magic" which was always in her refrigerator and always in mine today. The recipe is on my website, www.caroljose.com and its a mixture of minced parsley, minced fresh garlic, and olive oil. Great to have handy and to use many different ways. Takes less than fifteen minutes to make a 2-3 week supply in a jar...which is why it's "magic"...Nana'sMagic...Happy New Year! Carolina (as grandma Josie called me!)

[Nick Matyas]

Awesome posting man!
You are a great blogger. I like your work. Truly you are a genius.
Keep up the good work Man!!

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