Ask any Italian when they usually open their gifts and you can probably tell where they are from. Italians celebrate lots of great unique Christmas traditions. Customs vary from city to city, from exactly what dishes are served to when to open presents. It is a great time to be a kid in Italy!
December 13th marks the “Festa di Santa Lucia” – St. Lucy’s Day. Historically, it was to her (and not Santa) that children wrote letters requesting gifts and sweets which she delivered with the help of her donkey on the eve of her feast day.
This week we feature a typical menu from Sicily, Santa Lucia’s birthplace. An “omaggio” to this colorful and beloved Saint kicks off the Christmas season in Italy.
Menu
Chef's Travel Notes
Ask any Italian when they usually open their gifts and you can probably tell where they are from. Italians celebrate lots of great unique Christmas traditions. Customs vary from city to city, from exactly what dishes are served to when to open presents. It is a great time to be a kid in Italy!
There is a festive atmosphere during the whole of December, starting on the 8th with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It is the kick-off of the holiday season when everyone starts decorating. Next comes “La Festa di Santa Lucia”/Feast of Saint Lucy. She is one of the most beloved saints in Italy and each region celebrates her with traditions passed down for generations. Historically, it was to her that children wrote letters requesting gifts and sweets which she delivered in a cart with the help of a flying donkey on the eve of her feast day, December 13.
Legend has it that the saintly Lucia refused the advances of a powerful pagan man who had fallen in love with her legendary beautiful eyes, so she plucked them out and sent them to him! You will recognize her as frequently portrayed holding her eyes on a golden platter – the patron saint of the blind. Not coincidentally, Lucia’s name is derived from the Latin “lucis” for light (“luce” in Italian.) Her feast day once coincided with the Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year, when darkness seemed never ending. (Old Italian saying: “Santa Lucia, il giorno più breve che ci sia.” “St. Lucy’s Day, the shortest day there is.”)
In Northern Italy, children anxiously await her arrival by leaving her coffee and flour or hay for her donkey. They must go to bed and keep their eyes tightly shut or Lucia might throw ashes in their eyes and not leave any gifts. In Sicily, birthplace of the Saint, there are religious processions and nocturnal celebrations using candles and bonfires, a blatant reminder of Lucia as protector of light and sight.
This week’s menu is one you might find in Syracusa or Palermo. Insalata Siciliana. winter salad with oranges, fennel, red onion, celery, and olives is refreshing and vibrant – a good example of the simplicity and freshness of Sicilian cooking.
Casarecce al Pesto Trapanese. Casarecce originated in Sicily and are short twists of homemade extruded pasta. Here we toss them with an almond-based pesto from the western Sicilian city of Trapani. We make a fresh tomato, toasted almond, basil, garlic, and pecorino pesto, finished with toasted breadcrumbs.
Pesce Spada alla Siciliana is a typical Sicilian dish of fresh grilled swordfish loin finished with a lemon, olive oil, garlic and white wine sauce. The tradition of swordfish fishing is more than 2,000 years old and is historically connected to Sicily’s culture.
Cuccia di Santa Lucia. Cuccia is a type of pudding traditionally prepared for La Festa di Santa Lucia. It is eaten in memory of her miraculous intervention in averting famine in the city of Syracusa. According to the legend, the Saint sent two ships loaded with wheat to save the port city. It is said that the large grains of soft wheat are representative of her eyes and this specialty only is eaten once a year. It is a creamy desert of soft winter wheatberries, ricotta, honey and chocolate.
In the mid-1980s three enthusiastic men began their wine-making adventure to change the Sicilian wine industry by innovating old methods and by matching Sicilian soils with indigenous and international varietals. Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s most important grape. La Segreta takes its name from the woods surrounding Planeta’s Ulmo vineyard. It pairs beautifully with the Sicilian flavors of this week’s menu.
This month in Italy is filled with delightful traditions we will be highlighting in the coming weeks. Though varied and sometimes a bit bizarre, these customs always seem to revolve around food and family. “Natale coi i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi.” “Christmas with family, Easter with whoever you want.” In Italy don’t even think about not spending Christmas with the famiglia. On the bright side (and we must find the bright side) maybe this forced COVID isolation will give us pause to appreciate our family and reflect on the meaning of Christmas.
Buon Natale,
Christianne