Although last week I described a new view of food as a type of “medicine,” in this post, I’ll be looking at food in a more cultural sense: through the customs and practices surrounding it in “the most wonderful season of all” that I know I’m sorely missing: the holiday season.
Italy: The Feast of the Seven Fishes
For me, at least, Christmas Eve was filled with an abundance of fish. My grandmother and mother (along with some help from me) spent the day preparing the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, a tradition arising from the Roman Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on the important “Vigil” of Christmas Eve. A few of these seven dishes, which represent the seven sacraments in the Catholic church, present at my family’s table this year were the quintessential smelts (which my grandfather says that he has eaten every Christmas Eve since he was a little boy in Italy), baccalà (cod), and calamari, combined with a few of our own infusions: crab, some meatless pasta, and even salmon. Our side dishes for the meal were simple in order to make the fish shine, including roasted red peppers in olive oil and fried zucchini and eggplant. After that, we couldn’t forget some delicious dessert: pannettone, a special, light Christmas bread with candied fruit, biscotti, and the jam-filled uccellini ripieni, cookies named after their appearance as “filled” or “stuffed” birds. We were also lucky to taste the delicious honey and walnut cookies, melomakarona, on Christmas Day, a Greek traditional sweet courtesy of the mother of my cousin’s wife.
Israel: Latkes
I am happy to say that I have been privileged enough to taste latkes, a favorite tradition in the Jewish celebration of the “Festival of Lights,” Hanukkah (Chanukah), which commemorates the miracles of the great victory of the vastly outnumbered Maccabees over the Greek army and of the one-day’s supply of oil for the Menorah in the Holy Temple burning for eight days and eight nights. The miracle of the oil for the Menorah has resulted in the frying of many of the foods customarily eaten on the holiday, including the delicious latkes, which are typically made of potato and sometimes served with applesauce.
Peru: Spiced Hot Chocolate
A beloved Christmas tradition in Peru involves making donations of ingredients for spiced hot chocolate and for Italian pannettone bread to churches, which serve the hot chocolate and bread to the less fortunate in the weeks before Christmas. On Christmas Eve, known as La Noche Buena, families gather for a traditional Christmas meal of turkey, applesauce, tamales, and salad, along with the hot chocolate and pannettone for dessert.
Vietnam: Bahn Chung
During celebrations of the new year (Tet), the Vietnamese often eat banh chung, a rice cake with ingredients such as pork and mung bean covered in soft, sticky rice and wrapped in banana or bamboo leaves. The cake is considered to be an essential part of the Tet celebration, resting on the altars of Vietnamese families, and is distinguished as one of the national dishes of Vietnam. In representing the ancestors of the Vietnamese, bahn chung is square-shaped to represent the earth, while banh day, a similar dish eaten during the holidays, models the sky (“Banh chung”).
Traditional Kwanzaa Foods
The seven-day celebration of Kwanzaa includes an African feast called a Karamu on its last day that features many traditional African foods. Among the favorites on the menu include the “pan African and African-American” peanut soup, okra, greens, and the yam (what Things Fall Apart author Chinua Achebe calls the “‘king of crops'” for its significance to Africa and its people). Also a necessary addition to the Kwanzaa table is a Jollof rice dish made with rice, tomatoes, onions, and vegetables, meat, or fish — a dish that, according to a Kwanzaa menu, the famous Maya Angelou called “‘a smashing success.'” Green tea with mint or ginger beer often accompany the meal, along with fruit salad and coconut pie for dessert (“African Food for Kwanzaa”).
It’s safe to say that all of the mouth-watering traditional foods above have a deeper dynamic to just their deliciousness, however. In their celebrations of heritage, religion, or historical events, holiday dishes provide piercing insights into the dynamics and cultures of the people who prepare and partake of them — along with a list of new foods to try for us!
______________________________________________________________________________________
Note: I’ve only provided a few examples of an abundance of different holiday foods above, using an interesting (and illustrated) list from Delish. You can read more from the source itself.
Clare Mchugh says
I loved reading about all of these different foods and cultures. I have always been interested in learning about different places, so I loved reading this blog! Great post!!
Amanda Taylor says
This idea is amazing. I love learning about the foods of different cultures and places. At the Jewish holidays, you always see the same food, and yes latkes are there! I had no idea the back story of the Seven Fishes. Very interesting!!!
Mary Kate Moran says
As a boring Irish person who eats almost exclusively potatoes on every holiday, this was wonderful to read. I have a million Italian friends and I had no idea the Seven Fishes was linked to the seven sacraments. I also loved the sense of family that shines through in your first description! I also really appreciate the link you included to your source material and will definitely be looking into the other pictures of food very soon. 🙂