Why do we eat fish on Christmas Eve?
Christmas Eve on Italian tables is a triumph of typical dishes that vary from region to region. What everyone has in common is that the menu on the evening of December 24th is fish-based , while on December 25th it is meat-based.
But why do we eat fish on Christmas Eve? Let’s discover the origin of this gastronomic custom.
Catholic tradition or popular custom: why fish is eaten on Christmas Eve
According to the Catholic Church, Christmas Eve is a lean day , when one should eat poor food or fast as a sign of respect, devotion and detachment from material things. In the past, eating meat was a luxury that few could afford and was strictly reserved for holidays, while fish was considered less valuable . This is why we eat fish on Christmas Eve. Today it cannot be said that the latter is a poor food; in fact, dishes based on shellfish, oysters, mussels and clams are even more delicious, sumptuous and rich than those based on meat.
Furthermore, according to archaic beliefs, fish would not be a vehicle of evil spirits , unlike land animals.
Abstinence from meat and fasting had been prescribed in the Codex Iuris Canonici (Code of Canon Law) in 1917 on the eve of the solemnities of Pentecost, the Assumption, All Saints’ Day and Christmas .
However , in February 1966 the Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini , signed by Pope Paul VI changed the issue. In fact, he established fasting only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and abstinence from meat every Friday of the year, no longer on Christmas Eve .
As at Easter , abstaining from meat the day before Christmas would be a form of respect for Jesus, and has remained as a popular custom .
In 1994 the Italian Episcopal Conference established that abstinence can be replaced by works of penance , prayer and charity except on the Friday of Lent and in the so-called Christmas Lent which runs from 15 November to 24 December.
In reality , on the days established by the Catholic religion, abstinence is not only from meat but from all particularly expensive or refined foods and drinks and therefore one should not even eat fish if one wanted to follow the precept.
Ideas for the fish-based Christmas Eve menu
Those who respect popular tradition prepare a fish-based menu for Christmas dinner . Have you already decided on yours? To begin with, if you are looking for ideas, here are some Christmas seafood appetizers to bring to the table. As a first course, how about seafood lasagna ? Or some tasty spaghetti with mussels and prawns?
Satisfying everyone’s tastes with fresh, quality Nieddittas products will not be difficult: local clams , mussels , murex, sea bream, local fish, oysters , razor clams, scallops, snails, cockles, lupins and truffles… get to the stove and use the imagination to bring all the flavor of our sea to the table! You can also receive them at home thanks to the Nieddittas a Domicilio service .
Let’s now see the recipe for a second course that you can serve on the evening of December 24th: baked sea bream fillets with potatoes and cherry tomatoes .
Method:
- Start by cleaning the Nieddittas sea bream and removing any thorns.
- Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them thinly.
- Take a baking tray, oil it and arrange the potato slices. Add a chopped onion and a clove of garlic. Place the sea bream fillets and season with salt and pepper. Also add the cherry tomatoes cut in half and the black olives, if you like.
- Drizzle with a drizzle of oil and bake at 180° for 15 minutes (depends on the size of the fish).
- Remove from the oven and serve.
Eating fish nowadays certainly does not mean giving up taste and quality.
