
Many Italian-Americans today trace their heritage back to the Italian immigrants who arrived on Ellis Island back in the late 1800s. Along with their luggage, they brought their language, traditions, and food. These days, Italian food is so ubiquitous in American culture that some countries may recognize pizza and, to a lesser extent, spaghetti as more American than Italian (sorry, Italians!).
But even then, not all food and food traditions brought over by Italian immigrants have been absorbed into the larger melting pot of American culture. One of the few lesser-known Italian food traditions is the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
What’s the Feast of the Seven Fishes?

The Feast of the Seven Fishes, or La Viglia as it’s called in Italy, is an Italian-American feast that takes place on December 24th, coinciding with Christmas Eve dinners. Okay, it’s not really a coincidence since it’s the Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner. As is evident from its name, the Feast of the Seven Fishes involves eating seven fish dishes which are thought to correspond to the sacredness of the number seven in the Catholic tradition. Think of the seven days of creation, seven deadly sins, seven heavenly virtues, etc. You get the gist.
Unlike other feasts in the Catholic calendar, though, the Feast of the Seven Fishes isn’t a formal religious feast. It’s not connected to any saint of fish, that’s for sure. The name just arose because of the fish-filled menu and the fact that it’s celebrated often enough.

But why fish? Why not any other dish like pasta? Wouldn’t a Feast of the Seven Pastas be more on-brand? Well, when Italian immigrants first started coming into the U.S., they were mostly coming from Southern Italy which, during the biggest waves of immigration, was much poorer compared to the Northern Italian regions. The dearth of opportunities incentivized immigration to the U.S. which was, even then, seen as a land of wealth where you could start a business, change your life, and everything else there is to do with the immigrant dream.
When Southern Italians arrived in the U.S., they were already used to a diet of fish because of how much cheaper it was compared to meat.
Aside from that, the origins of the Feast of the Seven Fishes aren’t clear. It doesn’t have an obvious origin in Italy’s long, historical food traditions, making it likely that it’s uniquely Italian-American.
However, it could also be a tradition shared by Italian-Americans and Southern Italians. According to Diana Reis, the Italian-American chef behind Delicious by Design, she hasn’t seen it practiced by her father’s Northern Italian family.
“We have always celebrated the custom on Christmas Eve with a large dinner. My great-grandparents immigrated from Calabria in Southern Italy when they were children and this custom comes from their parents,” Reis explained, “It does seem to be a tradition that is held by Southern Italians as my father’s family does not celebrate Christmas Eve this way.”
How Is the Feast of Seven Fishes Celebrated?

Reis says you only really have a Feast of the Seven Fishes on the 24th of December since it’s supposed to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In line with Catholic traditions, you’re not supposed to eat red meat on holy days which includes

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“The meal had been a fasting day to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Obviously, they only meant fasting from red meat,” She elaborated.
While some Italian-Americans celebrate with only seven fish dishes, Reis’ family serves up thirteen scrumptious fish meals. Just like the prescribed number of seven being rooted in the Catholic tradition, thirteen is also symbolic as it’s meant to represent Jesus and his 12 apostles.
The tradition has changed in other ways for them too. Reis says she and her family have been modernizing the tradition and customizing it to fit their family now that they’ve left the Catholic Church and most of the older generations have passed on.
“We have added Deli, sausage, and pasta with meat sauce to appease a range of tastes and make up our thirteen dishes,” She tells us, “We have stopped thinking about it as a day of fasting, but we do still acknowledge the meaning of the number of dishes and celebrate the birth of Christ by reading from the book of Mathew.”
The Feast of the Seven Fishes has evolved from being a Catholic family-only tradition for her and into one that’s meant to be shared with everybody, no matter their food tastes.

“We often invite friends to celebrate this tradition. I personally love to share this part of my family history with anyone who is interested.”
Amy Weiher, Founder and Creative Director at Weiher Creative, though not Italian-American herself, has fond memories of the Feast of the Seven Fishes.
“I have a dear friend who is Italian-American, who grew up with her grandmother hosting a feast every year. Her mother tried to keep the tradition alive, but once her grandmother passed, the tradition took a backseat to life,” Weir tells A Little Bit Human, “Fast forward to my friend getting married and she and her spouse made the decision to start their own feast tradition each year several years into their marriage…The feast has become a great yearly tradition for our group of friends, where we all get together right before Christmas and enjoy great food and great company. It’s one of my favorite days of the year.”
Italian-American or not, isn’t the spirit of shared community (and good food!) the point of a celebration?
Dishes You Can Serve to Honor the Feast of the Seven Fishes
Your Christmas Eve is a time to be spent with good food, good wine, and good friends. The last one might be a little harder to pull off without scheduling conflicts, but food and wine are more than doable.
Baccala

Baccala or salted cod stew is a universal Feast of the Seven Fishes dish according to Reis. for the Portuguese and Brazilian readers out there, you might know it as bacalao. Either way, the dishes share the same origin and base recipe.
The stew consists of cod (duh), white wine, tomatoes, onions, and parsley with red peppers and lemon to taste. That’s one of the more simple iterations. If you want to get fancy you can try Baccala alla Livornese, which involves more tomatoes and a few potatoes, or Baccala alla Napoletana which calls for capers.
Frutti di Mare

Serve up the fruits of the sea in a twist on spaghetti that’s familiar enough to your guests’ palettes to convince them to give it a try yet different enough from regular spaghetti that it won’t be last year’s boring menu item.
This spaghetti dish is a cheerful mix of shrimp, clams, muscles, and squid, though the folks at Ciao Florentina say you can put in any shellfish you like.
Roasted Sardines

Light and zesty, this roasted sardines recipe will give your guests’ palette a break from all the flavor-packed dishes on your menu. That doesn’t mean these roasted sardines are flavorless, though. Packed with lemon zest, freshly ground pepper, and parsley. This simple dish will stand out on your tongue and at your table.
Smoked Trout Croquettes

Here’s a Feast for the Seven Dishes that even small kids will like because who doesn’t love croquettes? They’re bite-sized flavor bombs that crunch before giving way to a warm, rich center. These ones are made of russet potatoes, mozzarella, and the key piece, shredded smoked trout.
Serve these smoked trout croquettes with more melted cheese and you’ve got a crowd-pleaser that adults, kids, and even your grumpy in-law will love.