ITALIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER

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ITALIAN CHRISTMAS DINNER
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• Christmas dinner varies throughout Italy.
• Each Italian region has its own traditional
  festive dishes.
• However there are some similarities to the nature
  and size of the meal
• It is usually very abundant and consists of many
  courses

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CHRISTMAS EVE
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• Christmas Eve has a magical atmosphere in Italy
• Families often get together for a special meal
• Traditionally, Christmas Eve is considered as a
  giorno di magro, thats to say a lean day
• However this doesnt mean that the meal is poor,
  but only that no one eats meat.
• The reason is that on Christmas Eve the Catholic
  Church prohibits the consumption of meat. Thats
  why everybody eats fish

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• However, even though meat is absent in Christmas
  Eve dinner, it is very substantial and consists
  of many delicious courses
• Although nowadays this tradition isnt as
  strictly observed as in the past, many people,
  particularly in southern Italy (in Naples and in
  Aversa too) still have a meat-free meal on
  Christmas Eve.

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CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL STARTERS

• Christmas Eve meal usually starts with a
  selection of antipasti (starters)
• fish salad
• shrimp cocktail
• fried calamari and shrimps
• octopus salad
• insalata di rinforzo (cauliflower salad with
  oil, vinegar, olives, anchovies and pickles)
• prickly pizza.

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CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL FIRST COURSE

• As for the first course all Neapolitan families
  prepare spaghetti with clams.

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CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL SECOND COURSES

• Then there are different second courses
• fried salt cod
• grilled or fried eel
• baked fish.

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CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL DRIED FRUIT

• Finally, we eat dried fruit
• Dates
• Figs
• Nuts
• Chestnuts
• Almonds

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CHRISTMAS EVE MEAL DESSERT

• As for dessert, at Christmas Eve all Italian
  families have panettone or pandoro
• In some regions of Northern Italy people also
  have pandolce, a heavy fruit cake with pine
• On the contrary in Southern Italy we also eat the
  traditional neapolitan cakes struffoli, paste
  reali, susamielli, roccocò and mustacciuoli.

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CHRISTMAS DINNER
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• Dinner on Christmas Day goes on for hours.
• The Christmas day menu is generally freer than
  Christmas Eves.

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• It usually starts with a selection of antipasti
  and a glass or two of sparkling prosecco.
• Then there is a hearty filled pasta dish, such as
  agnolotti, ravioli or tortellini. In Southern
  Italy we usually eat Lasagna.
• Most families follow with a roast or baked lamb
  with potatoes. Christmas dinner continues with
  dried fruits and cakes panettone, pandoro and
  the traditional neapolitan cakes struffoli,
  paste reali, susamielli, roccocò and mustacciuoli.

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NEW YEARS EVE
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• On New Years Eve another special meal is
  prepared.
• This often includes the same courses as Christmas
  Eve dinner.

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• The only difference is the addition of a
  "cotechino" with lentils dish
• Eating lentils and cotechino is considered to
  bring good fortune (Lentils symbolize money,
  while the cotechino simbolyzes health)

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• At midnight we eat panettone and make a toast
  with the Italian sparkling wine to greet the new
  year

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• Happy New Year 2008 to our friends Združená
  stredná škola Trebišov, Slovacchia
• From
• Ipssart Aversa
• Italy