Italian Christmas Food

The traditions that many people celebrate at Christmas time today come directly from Italy. Originally called, "The Feast of the Nativity", Christmas began in 274 A.D. when Emperor Aurelian ruled the holiday be celebrated on the 25th of December each year. It is no surprise that there is usually a great deal of Italian Christmas food prepared for the holiday.

Fish is almost always served as it was once frowned up to eat meat on religious holidays. Soups, such as minestrone, and pasta dishes are always served on holidays. While soup, pasta, and fish are common forms of Italian Christmas food, sweets play a major role in holiday celebrations.

Panettone is one of the most popular traditional Italian Christmas foods. This bread originated in Milan, quickly spread throughout the country of Italy and is now a worldwide favorite. The bread is light and sweet and has bits of fruit baked into the dough. While there are several stories about how this bread came to be, most believe that a baker named Tony accidentally spilled raisins and sugar into his bread dough and rather than throw it out, baked it up. People from all around came to enjoy more of "Tony's bread" or "pan ad Tony" and hence Panettone was born.

Children love making and eating Struffoli. This sweet Italian Christmas food is a type of bread that is shaped into balls or ropes, and fried in hot oil. Once cooked, the sweet dough is coated with a honey glaze. Colored sprinkles are added for a festive touch.

Another sweet Italian Christmas food is Amaretti. This light, crispy confection is a type of meringue cookie that has amaretto liquor blended in. These cookies are a must have at any celebration. Nougat candies, such as Torrone, and gingerbread cookies are also common Christmas treats.