A Regional Guide to Italian Christmas Dinners - So Much More Than Seven Fishes
If you think there is just one Unique Christmas menu across Italy, think again.
Nothing more than Christmas reveals the mind-blowing wealth of food Italy can offer. Each of Italy’s 20 regions has its own Christmas dinner tradition with a staggering variety of menus changing from place to place. Sit at a table in Genoa, Milan or Venice and you’ll see food that would never grace a table in Rome, Florence or Palermo.
We took a look at all the different mouth-whetting regional dishes Italians enjoy during the eating-spree that is Christmas. (And by Christmas we mean the evenings of 24th, 25th and 26th, Santo Stefano). Of course this is an overview of the most common menus. Things are a tad more complicated with each city and even each family putting their unique stamp on Christmas dinners.
The South
Sicily
Sicily is the place where food has been influenced the most by an incredible array of different cultures. Arabs, Normans, French, Spaniards, Greeks were all there and they all left their mark on the culinary traditions of this stunning island.
Antipasti
Christmas dinner here can start with a sfincione. This is a focaccia bread topped with tomato, onions, anchovies and caciocavallo cheese.
Scacciata is another starter usually served at Christmas. Scacciata is a flat bread stuffed with many things ranging from spinach, broccoli and cheese to meat and eggplants.
Primi
With sardines usually taking center stage throughout Sicily, sardine pasta is a fixture on family tables at Christmas.
The Ncasciata pasta (Montalbano’s favorite dish) is another very popular choice. This is a baked pasta filled with all kind of meat - tiny meatballs, beef, ragù, sausages - boiled eggs and plenty of cacio cheese. Needless to say each city has its own version of ‘ncasciata. .
Secondi & side dishes
Beccafico Sardines are butterflied sardines stuffed with a mix of breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins and herbs, then rolled up and baked in between fresh bay leaves.
Falsomagro means false lean or stuffed lean meat. Although it looks like a simple roast beef, falsomagro is a meat roll stuffed with rich layers of prosciutto, cheese, a meat/sausage compost and peas or in some other areas with eggs, cheese and spinach.
Sweets
Cannolo and Cassata are the king and queen of any respectful meal in Sicily particularly on a Christmas Eve dinner.
Cubbátia is a Sicilian brittle made with toasted sesame, almonds, and honey with hints of orange.
A Sicilian staple, sfinci are leavened fried dough balls traditionally served on Christmas Eve.
Dried and salted cod is Baccalá in Italian
Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Before it can be cooked, it is soaked in water for 12 hours or longer.
Calabria
Traditionally people in Calabria eat 13 types of food on Christmas Eve. The number 13 comes from the number of Apostles - plus Jesus who sat at the table during the last supper.
Here they are -
Antipasti
Olives, dried tomatoes and giardiniera (an appetizer made with green bell peppers, eggplants and carrots which have been preserved in olive oil)
Primi
Fresh white Bread Crumb Pasta with a possible addition of Anchovies.
Another possible variant is Scillatelle con ragù, a homemade long-shaped pasta topped with a pork-based ragù tomato sauce.
Secondi
Batter-Fried Salt Cod and salt cod baked with potatoes, tomato and olives - two courses popular in Calabria and many other regions across Italy. An alternative to fish is roasted goat meat (capretto).
Fennel, walnuts, chestnuts, mandarins and grispelle which are leavened, salted, fried doughnuts.
Sweets
“Nacatole” are anisette-enriched cookies.
Ragù
Each region (really each family) has its own variation in Italy. In Calabria, ragù is mainly a pork-based tomato sauce. In Naples, this sauce includes pork and beef cuts. The Bolognese version consists of ground beef on a carrott, celery and onion foundation.
Puglia
Seafood is all the rage in sunny and balmy Puglia. However, meat lovers can’t complain as they still get a chance to enjoy themselves at Christmas.
Antipasti
Tiella di Baccalà is salt cod with tomatoes, potatoes and subtle spices baked in a metal round pan.
Bari-Style Focaccia Bread makes a hefty starter at Christmas in many areas in Puglia.
Primi
Cime di Rapa or rapini pasta is a worldwide dish people in Puglia can’t seem to stop eating all year round.
Seafood Cavatelli is deemed a legitimate alternative pasta at Christmas.
Secondi & Side Dishes
After the pasta comes the fish in Puglia.
Baked Salt Cod with potatoes, olives and fresh tomatoes is a widespread must-eat.
Roasted Eels are going somewhat out of fashion in Puglia but still a noble alternative.
Meat is also a possibility. It’s not rare to see a slow-cooked roasted lamb and potatoes sitting on a dinner table.
Pettole (or pittule), are fried dough balls stuffed with tomatoes, capers and anchovies. They are very popular and not just at Christmas.
Sweets
Pettole can also come in a sweet version. Other types of sweets include:
Cartellate - that is rose-shaped fritters seasoned with honey or wine wort.
Porcedduzzi (aka struffoli) - tiny crunchy dough balls covered in honey and decorated with sprinkles.
Campania
People here like to eat big at Christmas. Over the three key dates of December 24th, 25th and 26th, no one from this part of Italy seems to be afraid of gargantuan, food-packed and seam-cracking meals.
Antipasti
Starters come in three main shapes which, more often than not, are all served on Christmas Eve.
Octopus Salad - one of the most popular dishes in Naples for its unique flavor - can be prepared in a thousand variations.
Lemon Marinated Anchovies with parsley, garlic and hot chilli pepper.
Seafood Salad - Italy's classic light, bright salad of gently cooked and marinated seafood, including shrimp, squid, scallops, and mussels, with lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, and subtle spices.
Primi
Clam Spaghetti or Lobster Spaghetti are two classic staples Neapolitan families wouldn’t miss for the world at Christmas Eve.
Neapolitan-Style Baked Pasta (and alternatively Lasagna) may be prepared on December 25th. This pasta al forno is a regional variant of the classic Italian baked pasta adding tiny meatballs, boiled eggs and smoked provola to the mix.
Tortellini in Broth (tortellini cooked in a meat-based broth) can be eaten on December 26th.
Secondi & Side dishes
Batter-Fried Salt Cod. As a second dish it comes in bigger chunks than when it’s served as an appetizer.
Frittura di Pesce - assorted fried seafood including crustaceans and mollusks, typically shrimp and squid, and often very small whole fish such as fresh anchovies, sardines, baby mackerel, or mullet. The method of preparation involves lightly coating the fish in flour and quickly deep-frying it in hot oil until it forms a nice golden brown crust.
Capitone (large sea eel). It is cooked the same way as frittura di pesce.
Capon (cappone in Italian) - roasted or boiled and served with roasted potatoes and greens.
Minestra Maritata, it is the ancestor of the homey Italian-American classic, the Italian Wedding Soup. Minestra maritata is an ancient Neapolitan soup which actually means “married soup”, not wedding soup, and refers to the ‘marriage’ of meats and green leafy vegetables that comprise its main ingredients
Insalata di rinforzo. It is called — ‘reinforcement salad’ — because it was customary in the old days to make a first batch as an antipasto on Christmas Eve and to keep on ‘reinforcing’ it with more cauliflower and condiments over the course of the holiday season, so there would always be some of it on hand up until New Years. And the flavor only gets better as the days go by!
Batter-Fried Artichokes, Cauliflower and Eggplants - This dish might make you think of the Japanese tempura but it is a classic in the Neapolitan food tradition.
Bollito di Carne - a staple across Italy and a meat lover’s feast consisting of various tougher cuts of beef and veal, cotechino and a whole hen or capon that are gently simmered for 2–3 hours in an aromatic vegetable broth.
Roasted Lamb or Lamb Chops with Roasted Potatoes are a possible variant for meat eaters.
Sweets
Struffoli (also called porcedduzzi in Puglia) are tiny crunchy dough balls covered in honey and decorated with colored sprinkles.
Roccocò are traditional Christmas cookies made with a combination of flour, almonds, sugar, candied fruit, and pisto – a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom.
Mustacciuoli (or mostaccioli) are almond-based, dense, nutty, honey-flavored, lightly spiced, dark chocolate coated cookies.
Central Italy
Lazio
Lazio with its capital, Rome, is simply crazy about meat-based meals especially at Christmas.
Primi
Roman-Style Baked Pasta, follows the traditional recipe for pasta al forno with the addition of besciamella.
Lasagne or Cannelloni
Cappelletti in Brodo, literally ‘little hat’, meat-stuffed pasta in rich capon or chicken broth
secondi & side dishes
Abbacchio with Roasted Potatoes. Abbacchio is meat of milk-fed lamb not yet weaned. The lamb is first marinated in an olive oil and garlic mix and then slowly stewed with rosemary, sage, garlic, white wine, vinegar, and anchovies.
Roman-Style Bollito, a Roman variant of the classic Italian bollito.
Roman-Style Batter-Fried Vegetables, there is no Christmas Eve without a fritto misto di verdure in Rome. It takes ages to make this dish as the vegetables are not boiled beforehand but slow-fried for a very long time.
Batter-Fried Salt Cod, a staple across Italy also features on Roman tables at Christmas.
Puntarelle Salad, puntarelle are shoots from the chicory family called Cicoria Catalogna. They are crunchy and have a slight bitter after taste. They are cut very thin and seasoned with garlic, anchovies and vinegar.
Sweets
Torrone, the classic Italian nougat.
Pangiallo. The so-called yellow bread is a Roman specialty quite similar to the Tuscan panforte or panpepato from Emilia-Romagna.
marche
Graced with a long coastline and a rich countryside, the Marche (read mar-keh) region enjoys a bounty of fish-based and meat-based meals at Christmas.
Antipasti
Olive Ascolane - stuffed large green olives.
Coppe Maritate, literally wedded couples. This is bread soaked in egg with some cheese and then fried.
primi
Maccheroncini di Campofilone - These are razor-thin homemade spaghetti cooked in a rich ragù sauce.
Vincisgrassi, a local variant of the classic pasta al forno here enriched with chicken, prosciutto, ground beef and mushrooms.
Marche-Style Gnocchi stuffed with all sorts of ground meat.
secondi & side dishes
Brodetto is seafood stewed in a tomato sauce and pepped up with subtle spices.
Roasted Capon, a popular choice across Italy mainly served on December 26th or even later.
Sweets
Sweets in Le Marche are full of unpretentious craftsmanship and darling simplicity.
Frustingo is a dried fruit-based cake bursting with flavor.
Pizza di Natà, a homey and earthy local take on panettone.
Abruzzo
Mostly straddling the Appennine mountain range and with its east-side coastline, Abruzzo favors meat-based meals. During Christmas holiday season though, some preserved fish features on the tables of Abruzzo’s families.
Primi
Minestra di cardi - Abruzzo Cardoon Soup - typically made in Abruzzo and Molise, this is a earthy soup whose main ingredient is a peppery Cardoons that have been cooked in a rich chicken broth with little meatballs.,
Fedelini with Tuna Fish - fedelini are handmade sort of spaghetti which are doused in a tomatoes sauce cooked with canned tuna and chickpeas.
Secondi
Foglie Fritte, or Braised Savoy Cabbage.
The classic Batter-Fried Salt Cod or “in umido”, that is baked with cherry tomatoes, olives and potatoes.
Sweets
Scrippelle or crespelle, an Abruzzo-Style variant of the French crepes. These are pecorino-and- parsley-stuffed crepes cooked in a chicken broth.
Calcionetti or caggionetti, are local fried cakes filled with chickpeas, bitter cacao, sugar, honey, mosto cotto (cooked wort), walnuts, almonds, peel of orange and ground cinnamon.
Parrozzo is a traditional Christmas cake. This classic dome-shaped almond cake is flavored with citrus zest and topped with a chocolate crust.
Celli A must-eat at Christmas, these round-shaped cookies are a traditional Abruzzo sweet filled with homemade grape jam, cocoa and nuts.
Tuscany
Tuscany has a lot to offer your eyes, we all know that. But make no mistake, when it comes to food, Tuscany’s food tradition is second to none.
Antipasti
Crostini di Fegatelli, that is chicken liver crostini - there is no family who doesn’t have them at Christmas in Tuscany.
primi
Cappelletti or tortellini or ravioli in a capon or chicken broth.
Pappardelle with Ragù - pappardelle are wider than tagliatelle. They are a traditional egg pasta dough made with all-purpose flour and semolina.
secondi & side dishes
Hunter-Style Chicken Stew (Pollo alla Cacciatora) - is a classic staple in Tuscan cuisine.
Bardicci, a Tuscan pork sausage grilled after midnight on Christmas Eve.
Sweets
Cavallucci, dry cookies flavored with gentle spices and orange zest.
Panforte means strong bread. This is a flavorsome, chewy Tuscan dessert containing candied fruits and nuts
Emilia romagna
Emilia Romagna is the land of prosciutto, and stuffed handmade pasta like tortellini, ravioli and of course Bolognese ragù sauce.
Antipasti
Cured Meat Cuts - that is prosciutto, mortadella, salami and all that jazz.
Cheese of Fossa, a cheese originally made with either sheep's milk, cow's milk, or a mixture of the two and dipped in a wine wort sauce called Saba. The cheese typically matures around 30 days before being placed in the "fossa", a pit dug into the ground and lined with straw.
primi
Tortellini or Passatelli prepared in a capon or chicken broth.
Tagliatelle or Lasagne in a Bolognese sauce.
Pumpkin Tortelli are handmade pasta stuffed with pumpkin, a classic in this area.
Tuna, Mackerel and Anchovy Pasta can be an alternative to all that meat-based pasta.
secondi & side dishes
Cotechino di Modena is originally an Emilian sausage made of pork, lard, pork rind and spices, which requires cooking. It is normally served with lentils.
Batter-Fried Salt Cod
Baked Salt Cod with potatoes, olives and fresh tomatoes.
Sweets
Panone, a local cake made with apples honey, dark chocolate and dried figs.
The North
Lombardy
Landlocked and away from the sea, Lombardy is a place that favors meat-based dishes traditionally immersed in varied broths or buttery, creamy sauces. With tables that are a little less food-laden than those in southern Italy, Lombardy families still indulge in a bounty of dishes during Christmas festive times.
Antipasti
Boiled Eggs, Parmesan and Gorgonzola Cheese sided with mortadella and prosciutto and served with a special mostarda (kind of like chutney) called mostarda di Cremona.
primi
Tortellini in a capon broth.
Bergamo-Style Casoncelli are handmade stuffed variants of ravioli cooked in a turkey broth seasoned with butter, pancetta and sage.
Secondi & Side Dishes
River Eels cooked in paper or foil.
Tacchinella is a roasted turkey hen stuffed with a compost of sausage, ground beef and soaked, soft bread. Tacchinella is typically cooked at Christmas in the part of Italy.
Sweets
Panettone of course is the king of all Christmas dinner tables in Lombardy.
Piedmont
Earthy food with a French twist comes in Piedmont all year around including at Christmas.
Antipasti
Russian Salad.
Bagna Cauda Bell Peppers - bagna cauda is a hot sauce made from garlic and anchovies.
primi
Agnolotti are a type of pasta originally from Piedmont made with small pieces of flattened dough, folded over a filling of roasted meat or vegetables. They are normally cooked in a meat-based broth.
Risotto with Radicchio.
secondi & side dishes
Roasted Capon.
Brasato, that is braised chuck roast in Barolo red wine. This is the most popular and celebrated dish in Piedmont.
Bollito Misto with Polenta dipped in bagnetto verde (similar to salsa verde)
Sweets
Tronchetto means little tree trunk. It is a sponge cake roll filled with chocolate cream.
Nut Pie served with a zabaione cream.
Bignole, fried dough balls filled with egg cream.
Liguria
Liguria is a narrow strip of land with a broad food tradition. It is home to pesto , great fish and some of the best anchovies in Italy.
Antipasti
Butter-Fried Chicken Nuggets filled with mushroom and besciamella sauce.
Fried Anchovies - these are flower-coated and gently shallow-fried local fresh anchovies.
primi
Natalini, a unique type of pasta only made in Liguria and served on Christmas Eve. It is a long-shaped flat handmade pasta cooked in a broth filled with tiny meatballs.
Genoa-Style Ravioli with Tuccu, a local take on the classic ravioli cooked in a rich meat sauce and pine nuts.
Genoa-Style Cima is a local specialty made with the belly of veal which is then stuffed with eggs, cheese and greens.
secondi & side dishes
Boiled or Roasted Capon.
Artichoke-Stuffed Guinea Fowl.
SWEETS
Pandolce is a local, fruity, dry cake ending dinner on Christmas Eve.
Veneto
Veneto is not just about gondolas and romantic trips but also hefty and delicious dishes.
primi
Radicchio Risotto.
Gnocchi with Duck Ragù.
secondi & side dishes
Whipped Salt Cod, this is cod whipped up and cooked in a creamy sauce served with polenta.
Milky Pork, a slow-roasted and milk-and-butter- soaked pork.
Venetian-Style Liver and Onions.
Venetian-Style Cuttlefish whipped up and cooked in a creamy sauce .
Sweets
Venetian-Style Fritters and naturally Pandoro, one of the most worldwide known Christmas cakes.
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