Christmas is joy and harmony; it corresponds to the most cheerful moment of the whole year, not only because of the atmosphere that you can live in the streets, but also for the tables laid out and ready to welcome friends and relatives!
From north to south, the tables of Italy are full of rich and abundant dishes, which perfectly reflect the local tradition. And after discovering what the regions of northern Italy reserve for the Christmas holidays, it’s time to review the regions of central Italy, starting from Lazio:
- fried or stewed cod: it is the most appreciated fish in Lazio and is served together with the inevitable broccoli fried in batter;
- stuffed bread: a traditional appetizer consisting of a bread stuffed with mushrooms, offal and béchamel sauce;
- pasta with broccoli and broth arzilla: a very tasty poor dish, a soup based on broth of arzilla in which pasta and broccoli are cooked;
- cheese and pepper pasta: a long pasta, such as tonnarelli or bucatini, seasoned with black pepper and pecorino cheese;
- fried or baked lamb: a young lamb cooked in the oven with potatoes or, alternatively, breaded and fried lamb chops and served with fried artichokes;
- coratella in umido: consumed during the break between the first and the second, consists of stewed lamb entrails accompanied by artichokes filled with garlic and mint;
- pangiallo: is the typical dessert of lazio, made with flour, dried fruit, raisins, saffron and honey;
- nociate: very similar to nougat, is a sweet made of honey and nuts.
Fonte: dal web
Let us now leave Lazio and move on to the Marche, the only Italian region in the plural that, in its uniqueness, is able to show its many facets, even on the occasion of the Christmas holidays. Here is what its culinary tradition offers:
- cups maritate: a simple appetizer made of slices of bread passed in the egg and fried accompanied by platters of meats and cheeses;
- vincisgrassi: baked pasta seasoned with meat sauce;
- maccheroncini di Campofilone IGP: long and thin spaghetti made with wheat flour and eggs, seasoned with tomato sauce;
- pasticciata: a roast beef fence, larded and seasoned with spices;
- rabbit in salmì: a second course of rabbit, tuna and peppers;
- bostrengo: sweet typical of Christmas Marche based on dried fruit, raisins, figs, chocolate, coffee and cocoa;
- Natà pizza: a kind of panettone prepared with bread dough, sugar, oil, orange and lemon peel, dried fruit, raisins, figs and chocolate chips;
- lu serpe: another typical snake-shaped cake made with shortcrust pastry and filled with almonds, macaroons and chocolate.
Fonte: dal web
From Marche you fly to Tuscany, land of good wine and heart of Italian culture, but also of delicious Christmas dishes to say the least:
- livers croutons: an appetizer made of toasted toast served with chicken liver pate;
- ribollita: first course consisting of a soup of beans, savoy cabbage and kale with the addition of potatoes, carrots, celery and tomatoes;
- Florentine crepes: fresh pasta made with flour, milk, eggs, butter and salt filled with ricotta and spinach;
- arista alla fiorentina: a pork loin seasoned with sage, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and accompanied by roast potatoes or beans;
- Christmas loaf: a sweet yeast baked in the oven seasoned with dried figs, raisins, pine nuts, walnuts and almonds;
- panforte: a typical dessert of Siena, flavored with spices, nuts and candied fruit;
- castagnaccio alla toscana: another sweet made with chestnut flour, pine nuts, raisins, walnuts and rosemary.
Fonte: dal web
Just a moment to go from Tuscany to Umbria, in the heart of Italy, between enchanting landscapes and simply irresistible typical dishes, especially on the occasion of Christmas:
- croutons with olive pulp: an appetizer made of toasted bread and then seasoned with garlic and olive pate;
- agnolotti with sauce: fresh egg pasta of square shape filled with roasted meat and seasoned with ragout or butter and sage;
- spaghetti alla nursina: spaghetti sautéed with anchovies, truffles, oil, garlic and basil and then sprinkled with chopped parsley;
- strangozzi: long fresh pasta made with water and flour topped with black truffle of Norcia;
- gingerbread: traditional sweet made with chocolate, dried fruit, nuts, candied fruit and various spices;
- pinoccate: sweets made with a mixture of pine nuts and sugar flavored with vanilla and chocolate;
- rocciata or attorta: another typical cake very similar to apple strudel, consisting of a thin dough made of flour, water and oil and a filling of apples, nuts, sugar, oil and dried fruit.
Fonte: dal web
The journey among the typical Italian Christmas dishes is not over yet: it’s time to take a look at what the Christmas tables of the regions of southern Italy reserve!
Copertina: dal web