{"id":574,"date":"2010-12-24T09:52:10","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T09:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/?p=574"},"modified":"2012-12-20T10:52:20","modified_gmt":"2012-12-20T10:52:20","slug":"il-menu-di-natale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/italian\/il-menu-di-natale\/","title":{"rendered":"Il Menu di Natale"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I lived in England and taught Italian, at this time of year my students would ask me: "What is the traditional Italian Christmas meal?" They were very surprised when I told them that we don’t have a standard national pranzo di Natale <\/strong>(Christmas lunch), but each region has its own culinary tradition. So, this year I decided to do a bit of research and asked a few friends who come from different parts of Italy what they eat at Christmas. <\/font><\/p>\n

Whatever the region, the main Christmas meal, which is eaten alla vigilia di Natale aspettando la Messa di mezzanotte<\/strong> (on the evening of the 24th while waiting for midnight Mass), generally follows the simple rule of being di magro<\/strong> (lit. ‘of lean’), that is without meat. Here are the traditional Christmas menus from three different parts of Italy. I’ll start with that given to me by my friend Vilma from Pontremoli in Lunigiana, northern Tuscany: <\/font><\/p>\n

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Cominciamo con frittelle di sedano, poi la torta di porri seguita da stoccafisso in umido con patate oppure stoccafisso fritto. Come dolce mangiamo la spongata.<\/font><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
We start with celery fritters, then leek pie followed by stockfish in tomato sauce with potatoes or fried stockfish. For dessert we have spongata <\/strong>(a thick mixture of dried fruit and chocolate encased in a thin layer of short crust pastry).<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

My friend Elisa, who is from Lecce down in Puglia, told me:<\/font><\/p>\n

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Come primo mangiamo ciciri e tria (pasta e ceci), poi ci sono la parmigiana di melanzane, i rapicauli stufati (cime di rapa stufate), i lampasciuli (cipolline in agro dolce) e le pittule (frittelle di pasta di pane con dentro le acciughe e i capperi). Per dolce abbiamo i purceddruzzi (palline di pasta fritte ricoperte di miele).<\/font><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
As a first course we have ‘ciciri e tria’ (a thick soup with chick peas and pasta), then there is ‘parmigiana di melanzane’ (baked aubergine \/ eggplant with tomato sauce and Parmigiano cheese), ‘rapicauli stufati’ (stewed turnip tops), ‘lampasciuli’ (small sweet and sour onions), and ‘pittule’ (bread dough fritters with anchovies and capers inside). For dessert we have ‘purceddruzzi’ (small fried pastry balls covered in honey).<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

Last but not least, Immacolata from Nicotera in Calabria sent me this menu:<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

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La vigilia di Natale mangiamo tradizionalmente tredici portate, compresi il dolce e la frutta. Cominciamo con pasta col pesce, e poi baccal\u00e0 fritto e molte verdure fritte come cavolfiori e zucca. Per dolce abbiamo le zeppole.<\/font><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
On Christmas eve we traditionally eat thirteen different things, including the dessert and the fruit. We start with pasta with fish, and then fried salted cod and lots of fried vegetables such as cauliflower and pumpkin. For dessert we have ‘zeppole’ (sweet fried pastry).<\/font><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

As you can see from the examples above, these menus are all ‘di magro’<\/strong>, but definitely not suitable for people on a weight loosing diet or with cholesterol problems! Oh well, Natale viene solo una volta all’anno!<\/strong> (Christmas comes but once a year!)<\/font><\/p>\n

Buone Feste a tutti i miei lettori!<\/font><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I lived in England and taught Italian, at this time of year my students would ask me: "What is the traditional Italian Christmas meal?" They were very surprised when I told them that we don’t have a standard national pranzo di Natale (Christmas lunch), but each region has its own culinary tradition. So, this…<\/p>\n

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