AN ITALIAN Christmas
To describe a celebration of food as both ‘rich and austere’ might seem something of a contradiction. Yet I can think of no more apt a description of this, the most important event in the Italian culinary calendar. Italians do Christmas in a big way with an iconic menu that is as rich in its diversity as it is in flavour. Yet, at the same time, there is an austerity to Christmas celebrations in Italy, which stem from a body of traditions, customs and symbolism that makes an Italian Christmas quite different from any that I have experienced elsewhere.
To understand this seeming contradiction we must first ditch much of the preconceived mental luggage that comes with our own Christmas and begin to think of Christmas as Italians do. This is easier said than done, because no matter where you come from, a heightened sense of nostalgia is part and parcel of the Christmas experience. I found this out a few years ago when, suffering from a lingering dose of seasonal nostalgia, I got it into my head to cook a traditional Christmas Day roast lunch. After all, what better remedy for the winter blues than an over-sized turkey stuffed beyond recognition surrounded by a sea of roasted parsnips, potatoes and sprouts? There’s no comfort food like traditional Christmas fare, with the added bonus that you get to relive the whole Christmas experience for days
