The Feast of the Seven Fishes – also known as la vigilia or the vigil – has its roots in Southern Italy where its origins trace back to the Catholic tradition of abstaining from meat on certain days, particularly on Christmas Eve, as a form of fasting before the celebration of Christmas Day. While the specific number – seven – in the Feast of the Seven Fishes does not have a definitive historical explanation, some believe that it represents the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church, the seven days of creation or the seven hills of Rome; while a few others associate it with different symbolic meanings or simply as a festive number for a grand meal.
When the Italian immigrants moved to the United States, particularly to areas like Southern Italian and Italian-American communities in cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Boston, adding their own twists to family recipes, bringing in regional influences and the availability of seafood furthered the tradition in a foreign country. Now, the feast has become a cherished Italian-American Christmas Eve celebration, featuring a variety of seafood dishes that vary from family to family and region to region, showcasing the richness of Italian culinary traditions and the importance of gathering together for a festive meal.
What makes the feast unique compared to holiday traditions from around the world is that it marks Christmas Eve with a lavish and symbolic seafood feast that is deep rooted in Roman Catholic culture. This culinary showcase becomes an opportunity for members within the family to display their culinary skills, family recipes and imbibing the importance of togetherness during the holiday season. For Italian-American families, the feast becomes a way to honour their heritage, maintain cultural traditions and celebrate the anticipation of Christmas.
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Although most dishes that comprise the feast vary based on familial traditions and regional influences, they often include various types of fish, shellfish and seafood preparations. Some common dishes use ingredients like salted cod or baccalà, octopus, shellfish like mussels, swordfish, snapper and more. Traditional delicacies include salt-baked fish, an Italian seafood stew known as the cioppino, fish piccata, braised swordfish with olives and tomatoes and roasted fish or shrimp. Some feasts that are quintessentially Italian also make pasta with mussels or clams, lobster simmered in a spicy tomato sauce, shrimp risotto and spaghetti alle vongole.