Christmas in the South: what are the holiday dishes?

Italian Christmas traditions are an enchantment that unfolds from the top of the Alps to the beaches of Sicily.

We will explore the rich and fascinating culinary customs that make Christmas in Italy a very special time.

The third leg of our journey takes us to the South.

Abruzzo

L&' Abruzzo, a region known for its fascinating geographical diversity, boasts Christmas culinary traditions that represent both the sea and the mountains.

One of the most representative dishes is fish broth, a&' Christmas interpretation of the famous "broth" of &' Abruzzo, enriched with crustaceans and delicious fish.

'Lu cardone' is traditionally the dish of abundance, 'assembled' with countless ingredients, as on the day of the festival it was' necessary 'to compensate for poor everyday cooking.

Followed by the second courses are the stuffed turkey, the Canzanese turkey, whose 7-hour cooking broth is transformed and served in jelly, the Chicken or the Lamb, cooked on the grill.

Molise

At Christmas, in the heart of Molise, traditional dishes make room on the table, offering unique flavors.

Cardi soup, Termolese broth, a tasty fish-based specialty, and arracanato cod are the predominant dishes.

The cod is prepared in two variants: one with bread crumbs, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, raisins, pine nuts and nuts; l&' the other baked, with cabbage, parsley, crumbs, raisins and nuts.

Campania

In Campania, Christmas is a &' an opportunity to celebrate religious traditions, in particular through living nativity scenes, a scenic re-enactment of the birth of Jesus.

Married soup, typical of the Neapolitan tradition, is a winter soup with a robust and rich flavor, prepared with pork and vegetables.

This hearty dish is l&' ideal for gathering the family around the table during chilly Christmas evenings.

In addition, Neapolitan desserts are the protagonists of the Christmas celebrations. Pastries such as struffoli (small balls of fried dough covered with honey) and susamielli (honey and nut cookies) are just some of

the delights to enjoy during the Christmas season.

Basilicata

As we explore the Christmas culinary traditions of Southern Italy, we stop in Basilicata.

Christmas Eve is a time of joy and sharing, and dinner offers a variety of fish-based dishes, such as boiled cod with crushed peppers.

Among the first most popular are the trascinati, so called because of the way in which they are prepared, that is, dragged onto the work surface with their fingers.

Apulia

In Puglia, on the occasion of the Christmas holidays, turnip tops and pettole (or pittule) are prepared, leavened dough pancakes that are filled with tomatoes, capers, oregano and anchovies, or in the sweet variant.

You can also enjoy l&' roasted eel, fried cod, and l&' baked lamb with lampascioni, small onions with a bitter aftertaste.

Here we can also find fried panzerotti, stewed cod and cod tiella, a recipe in which fish is cooked in the oven with potatoes, cherry tomatoes and spices

Calabria

The Christmas meal in Calabria begins with an appetizer consisting of cold cuts and local cheeses, such as caciocavallo, accompanied by crepes and cauliflower fritters, together with &' cod salad with “cancariddi cruschi”.

Among the traditional first courses for Christmas, there are spaghetti with anchovies and bread crumbs, seasoned with a touch of red pepper.

The desserts are numerous but Cannarituli, fried gnocchi then dipped in cooked must, are the most typical.

Sicily

For the Christmas menu, let's start with the Crispelle “c&' angiova” (filled with fresh ricotta), a fried and fragrant yeast dough. This is followed by pasta naciata, a baked pasta with ragù, eggs, eggplants and cheese, and the ripiddu nivicatu, a suggestive and

delicious representation of &' Etna in eruption.

Even in Sicily, cod dominates Christmas tables, battered and fried.

Sardinia

Sardinia, nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean, celebrates Christmas with typical dishes that recall the traditions of &' island.

In the Sardinian Christmas delights, we can discover culurgiones, stuffed ravioli, seasoned with a fragrant tomato sauce.

Another very prepared first course during this period are the malloreddus, semolina dumplings, with a striated surface and a slightly elongated shape.

As for meat-based main courses, c&' it's the pork with myrtle.

The side dishes presented are simple, prepared with seasonal vegetables, such as radishes.

Finally, seadas are fried desserts, with a cheese filling, which are served with honey.

The

Christmas holidays in Southern Italy are a &' an opportunity to unite as a family and celebrate culinary traditions handed down from generation to generation. Each region offers unique dishes that reflect their history, culture and l&' love for good food

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Angela Cordioli