It’s almost Christmas! According to some people, it’s “the most wonderful time of the year” and we think we know why…because it gives everyone a reason to eat more fish!
Christmas is celebrated around the world and it’s not just turkey and stuffing that make a holiday table special. Here are some fishy holiday meal traditions from around the world:
For the traditional Lithuanian Christmas Eve dinner, Kucios, preparation can take up to a week and gives families an opportunity to get together and helps build anticipation for the big night. Kucios originally had nine dishes, but now it has expanded into 12 dishes — one for each apostle — and must not include dairy, meat or hot food. Instead, it offers fish, breads and vegetables. Smoked eel is one of the seafood dishes served in this celebration.
Italy has numerous traditions when it comes to Christmas meals including The Feast of Seven Fishes, also known as The Vigil. This aptly named feast offers seven different fishes prepared in seven different ways. Salted cod, fried smelts, octopus, anchovies, clams and calamari are a few of the usual dishes you’ll find served at this special, seasonal feast. This celebration commemorates the wait, the Vigilia di Natale, for the midnight birth of the baby Jesus.
Some Armenians choose to fast the week before Christmas. Then, they break their fast with a light Christmas Eve meal called “hetum,” which includes rice, fish, chickpeas and yogurt soup. So, if you want to avoid weight gain this holiday season, maybe you should consider heading to Armenia for the holidays!
In Mexico, you might be served salted cod — called bacalao. Before refrigeration, salting and preserving fish was a necessity. Although this is no longer the case, the tradition lives on. This dish is rehydrated and cooked, which results in a tender and delicious holiday meal.
In Australia, Christmas falls in the summer. So the holiday meal is usually served straight from the BBQ! Lots and lots of fresh prawns, rock oysters, crayfish, crab, and salmon are prepared many different ways.
Fins like their Christmas table buffet style. Fish like gravlax (cured salmon) and pickled herring are a must beside the traditional ham and root vegetable casseroles.
And we bet you thought Japan probably had sushi for their holiday meal – WRONG!
Many Japanese people wait all year for that very special holiday feast of….wait for it….
FRIED CHICKEN!
