what do italians eat on christmas eve
Christmas Eve dinner is traditionally a light meal with no meat and a lot of seafood. Bring on the sword fish, tuna fish, salmon, octopus salad and the baccalÃ  (salted cod), of course! Along with an abundance of fish, Italians celebrate this meal with simple pasta dishes and meatless antipasti.
Christmas Eve Fish in the Rest of Italy. While only those in southern Italy and Sicily celebrate Christmas Eve with a feast of seven fishes, there are other Italian traditions that have ties to the Feast of Seven Fishes. Eaten in many parts of Italy on Christmas Eve is a dish called cenone, which is made of eel. Eel is regarded as a delicacy in Italy, and therefore a must on every table for Christmas Eve, regardless of whether there are numerous other fish dishes or not.
In fact, the Feast of the Seven Fishes is usually seen in southern Italy and Sicily, and varies from area to area. While the most common variation of the tradition is to eat seven fish, some households in southern Italy actually eat nine, ten or 12 fish instead. Eating Fish on Christmas Eve.