Food in Italy at Christmastime

If it's Natale — Christmas Day, lots of folks in Italy are at home getting ready for a big meal. Food is a priority, and taken very seriously.

Of course, Italy is famous for pasta, and so on Christmas, the dinner table for traditional Italians will often include lasagne al forno (baked lasagna). Here are three recipes in Italian:

Lasagne al forno Lasagne verdi Lasagne vegane

You wouldn't want to eat lasagna every day, but it's hard to say no to. Even Luca Manara can't say no. Note that, as for other kinds of pasta, the plural is used: lasagne.

Ecco qua il miracolo di zia Caterina,

Here it is, Aunt Caterina's miracle,

le famose lasagne al forno per festeggiare

the famous baked lasagna to celebrate

l'ennesimo caso risolto brillantemente, ecco qua.

the umpteenth case solved brilliantly, here you are.

Captions 18-19, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP1 - Matrimonio con delitto
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Tortellini in brodo (Tortellini in broth) is another favorite. See more about tortellini here.

Making homemade brodo (broth) is common in Italy, and is easy and worth it. If you’re not sure what to do with the rind from your parmigiano (parmesan cheese), well, just throw it in the pot with the other basic ingredients: various cuts of meat and bones, celery, parsley, carrots and onions. The parmigiano rinds add some great flavor.

Here’s a recipe for brodo, in Italian.

From the Yabla video series about the famous chef Gualtiero Marchesi, we can see how special a simple broth can be.

La preparazione del brodo è come

The preparation of broth is like

la preparazione della pozione magica...

preparing the magic potion...

Captions 30, L'arte della cucina - I Luoghi del Mondo
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One thing that characterizes the winter season in Italy, is the overwhelming availability of agrumi (citrus fruit). People like to eat arance (oranges), mandarini (mandarin oranges), and clementini (clementines) or clementine (clementines). They are shipped to all other parts of Italy from Sicily and Calabria, and fill shops and homes with their fragrance.

In just about any bar, you can order una spremuta (freshly squeezed orange juice). It's best when oranges are in season.

Per me una spremuta d'arancia, grazie.

For me a freshly squeezed orange juice, thanks.

Caption 41, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale
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In Italy, fruit is generally served at the end of a meal, and at Christmastime, there is usually also frutta secca (nuts and other dried fruits) in addition to panettone and other wonderful but caloric desserts.

Here’s a link to a Yabla blog about the winter holidays in various parts of the world.

Topics Culture Food