Christmas is celebrated in countless special ways around the world. Religion, songs, traditions, and food may vary, but in spite of the different customs and cultures, family, togetherness, and sharing remain common themes, regardless of the language one may speak.
Religious symbolism is often found in the foods served on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Passed down through generations, international cuisines with their religious influences continue to be practiced today, as we discover in foods from countries such as Italy and Ireland, and many Hispanic regions.
Christmas dining in Italy
In Italy the traditional Christmas Eve meal includes several fish dishes, with the number of fish entrées (varying by region and always an odd number) symbolizing the Holy Trinity, the apostles, or Christ. Seven fish dishes represent the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. Although three is an important number in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, representing the Holy Trinity, three fish dishes would surely not be enough to serve the masses. Therefore, nine fish dishes would be selected in serving a large number of people. Eleven represents the 12 apostles, minus Judas, and 13 stands for Christ and the 12 apostles.
The Christmas Eve meal often includes an antipasto seafood salad, followed by several pasta dishes with fish, such as smoked salmon. The main entrées include a dried salt cod dish (baccala), the traditional eel, a light baked salmon, or a large whole stuffed fish (often with the head on). Side dishes consist of potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Afterward, a salad would be served to clear the palate, followed by an array of desserts. The feast would continue on Christmas Day with a more magnificent spread, including several types of meat, pasta, vegetable, dessert, and fruit.
The Irish Christmas feast
Today, many Irish families will serve a baked ham, roast turkey, or beef for Christmas. The more traditional Irish Christmas feast includes a roast goose or spiced beef, potatoes, root vegetables, and a Christmas cake. In earlier times, spices were expensive and were used only for special occasions. The beef and the cake shared many ingredients, including pepper, were made well in advance of the celebration and were eaten cold. The hot portion of the meal included the potatoes and vegetables, perhaps a loaf of soda bread, and warmed ale or wine. The beef was spiced for several weeks, then cooked and pressed before serving.
Making Spiced Beef
Grind ⅓ cup each of whole black pepper and allspice and ½ cup juniper berries (or ¼ cup mixed mace and ground cloves). Mix with 1 cup sugar and ¾ cup salt.
Rub this mixture into a trimmed and washed 7-pound chuck roast or round of beef brisket. Place roast in an earthenware or glass dish and refrigerate for four to seven days, turning occasionally.
To cook, cover with cold water and simmer for two to three hours until fully cooked. Pack cooked meat into a large bread pan, weighted down, for at least 12 hours. Cut into thin slices and serve.
The Irish Christmas Cake is similar to a fruit cake as we may know it, but not hard and dry. It is moist, rich, and spicy and is filled with fruit and nuts, traditionally baked six to eight weeks before Christmas. It is fed whiskey regularly until the day it is served. In fact, one recipe I found provides day-by-day directions, beginning with soaking all the fruit overnight in whiskey and fruit juice, and continuing with daily whiskey allotments.
In old Ireland, doors were left unlocked as a gesture of hospitality, inviting Mary and Joseph to come and rest. This custom remains in practice today as a way of extending hospitality to travelers seeking food and shelter from the cold, especially Santa Claus. Instead of leaving cookies and milk as we might, in Ireland they may leave a mince pie and a bottle of Guinness for Santa.
Some Hispanic traditions
The traditional Christmas Eve meal in the Dominican Republic and Mexico includes tamales. The tamales or “pasteles en hoja” of the Dominican Republic are made of plantain and yuca, stuffed with spicy beef or chicken and other ingredients such as raisins and olives. They are wrapped in plantain leaves and then boiled. Tamales of Mexico are made from ground corn dough, which is spread on corn husks and filled with meat or beans. The corn husk is rolled or folded and placed in a hot pot where it is steamed for about an hour. Typically, Mexican tamales are served with a tangy green salsa.
Italian whole baked fish
This recipe is a tradition in our family—I make it every Christmas Eve.
1 whole white fish (cod, pollock, or haddock, cleaned and scaled, head on—optional)
3 cloves garlic minced
1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian seasonings
½ tablespoons dried oregano
⅓ cup Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup white wine
Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash fish and place it in a roasting pan. Mix all ingredients together and spoon half inside the fish and spread the remainder on top of the fish.
Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size of the fish), or until the inside of the fish is flakey and white when cut with a knife.
Serve whole on a platter, garnished with parsley. If served with the head on, place sliced olives over the eyes.
