Commemorate La Vigilia And Feast On Mouthwatering Seafood Dishes

Italians worldwide commemorate La Vigilia, or the anniversary of the Seven Fishes, during the Christmas Eve. This feast is focused on seven different classes of seafood meals, which are commonly served with baked dishes, exquisite wines, pastas, and vegetables. No meat dish is involved in this observance since a custom menu for La Vigilia consists of a combination of any of the following: clams, sardines, eels, octopus, cod, squid, oysters, shrimp,mussels, and anchovies.

A popular recipe intended for La Vigilia is the Stuffed Calamari in Tomato Sauce -- a mouth-watering meal made by filling the squid with water or milk, garlic, egg, and breadcrumbs. The stuffed squid is then baked with oil, tomato-based sauce, and cheese, making it a family preference among Italians along with another seafood recipe called the Oyster Shooters, which consists of raw oyster meat -- pulled out from the shells -- served in a hot sauce-filled shot glass.

The Italians' love for cooking is undeniably expressed during the La Vigilia celebration. This is further proclaimed by the Italian's tradition of using a variety of herbs and spices in the preparation of the various dishes so as to bring out the essence of each recipe. Moreover, the feast proclaims each of the Italian regions' specialties, especially when it comes to seafood servings, which pave the way for yet another set of dishes particularly prepared for Christmas.