Christmas is one of Italy’s most cherished holidays: Streets glow with twinkling lights, traditional markets fill every piazza (square), and handcrafted presepi (Nativity scenes) appear everywhere. Of course, Italians would not consider the celebration complete without an outstanding display of food!
Italian Christmas food varies by region, showcasing the diversity of Italy’s culinary culture. If you are spending the holidays in the country or want to host an authentic Italian Christmas meal at home, here’s the list of essential dishes to know. You may even pick up a few new words for food in Italian: It’s a win-win!
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Traditional foods from Italy eaten around Christmas
Italian food for Christmas includes comforting, hearty dishes such as stuffed pasta, slow-cooked stews, fish, soups, and a variety of desserts. While some recipes are beloved nationwide, what Italians cook for Christmas depends on the day they are celebrating, local products, and how each region lives and interprets Italian Christmas traditions.
The big family meals are usually:
- December 24: Cenone della Vigilia (literally “big dinner of Vigil”), which is especially popular in Southern regions.
- December 25: Pranzo di Natale (Christmas lunch); the big event.
- December 26: Pranzo di Santo Stefano (Saint Stephen’s Day lunch), which is a national holiday, so families often enjoy or reinvent the leftovers from the previous days.
Usually, the cenone della Vigilia features all-fish dishes, while Christmas lunch includes meat-based recipes. This is a mark left by the religious tradition of not eating meat on Christmas Eve, which persists as a tradition, although it is no longer strictly observed.
Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes
You may have heard about the “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” but this is actually an Italian-American tradition that most Italians are unfamiliar with. So if you want to enjoy a seafood-only menu, better use the following Italian expressions:
- Avete un menù solo pesce per la Vigilia? = Do you have a fish-only menu for Christmas Eve?
- Preparate piatti di pesce per la Vigilia? = Do you prepare fish dishes for the Vigil?
- Preferisco non mangiare carne alla Vigilia. = I’d prefer not to eat meat on Christmas Eve.
Italian Christmas appetizers
Italian Christmas tables always offer a wide range of appetizers. These are served before the main courses or arranged buffet-style for everyone to enjoy during the aperitivo.
An Italian Christmas appetizer banquet typically includes affettati (cold cuts) and seafood, such as capesante gratinate (scallops au gratin), ostriche (oysters), and gamberetti in salsa rosa (shrimp in pink sauce). But you’ll also find many cold or warm delicacies.
Insalata russa and insalata di mare (Russian salad and seafood salad)
These are the two most popular Italian cold appetizers. Insalata russa is also known as “Olivier salad” outside Italy, and you can easily do it at home by mixing cubed boiled potatoes, carrots, and peas with mayonnaise. Insalata di mare is a mix of cooked shrimp, squid, and octopus seasoned with pickles, olive oil, and parsley.
Crostini (toasted bread) and vol-au-vent
Small bites filled with salmone affumicato (smoked salmon) or covered in paté or other spreads. For an authentic traditional taste, try Tuscan crostini con fegatini (crunchy bread topped with chicken liver).
Baccalà (salted cod)
Baccalà is cod cured in salt, then rehydrated and cooked in various ways: pastellato (battered and fried) in Southern and Central Italy, or mantecato (puréed and served as a spread) in the Veneto region.
Main courses for Christmastime in Italy
Main courses are where Italian regions‘ traditions shine the most, so Christmas menus vary widely from North to South.
Pasta fresca ripiena (stuffed fresh pasta)
There are more than 400 types of pasta in Italy, so it’s no surprise that it takes center stage at Christmas. Tortellini are a must in Modena and Bologna, and are also very typical in Northern and Central Italy. At Christmas, Italians enjoy them in rich capon broth, enhancing their delicate filling of pork, prosciutto (ham), mortadella (bologna), parmigiano (parmesan cheese), egg, and nutmeg.
With a similar filling, cappelletti in broth are the stars in Reggio Emilia and Central Italy. In Turin, you can savor agnolotti (pasta filled with roast meat) served in broth or a rich roast sauce, while Milan and Lombardy are known for casoncelli in sage-scented butter, and for the classic ravioli with various fillings (meat, fish, cheese, squash, spinach, etc).
Finally, Sardinia’s culurgiones deserve a special mention: stuffed with potatoes, pecorino cheese, and mint, they are unique among Italy’s stuffed pastas.
Lasagne and pasta al forno (lasagna and baked pasta)
The most famous version, lasagne alla bolognese, alternates layers of pasta, ragù, béchamel, tomato sauce, and cheese. But many regions create variations of lasagna with radicchio (red leaf chicory), gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, spinach, salsiccia (Italian sausage), or even seafood. It’s not only delicious, but very convenient because you can prepare it in advance.
Even easier to cook at home is pasta al forno (baked pasta). The recipe combines pasta, such as ziti or rigatoni, with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients in the same baking pan. Regional favorites include pasta ‘ncaciata from Palermo, made with ragù, eggplant, and cheese, and pasta al forno alla napoletana (Napolitan style), with mozzarella, chickpeas, and eggs.
Spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams)
In an ideal fish-only Christmas Eve menu, seafood pasta is the highlight of the night. In Naples and throughout Campania, spaghetti alle vongole veraci (spaghetti with clams) is a must-have that achieves an extraordinary flavor with a few simple ingredients: fresh clams, olive oil, garlic, parsley, and a splash of white wine.
Spaghetti or linguine allo scoglio are also very traditional. They may include cozze (mussels), vongole (clams), scampi (prawns), parsley, and a touch of peperoncino piccante (spicy chili).
Pasta con le sarde (pasta with sardines)
Sicilians celebrate Christmas Eve with one of the island’s most iconic dishes: pasta con le sarde. This classic, associated with Palermo and Messina, is a true regional treasure. It’s long pasta, such as bucatini or maccheroni, combined with sardines, wild fennel, olive oil, saffron, pine nuts, raisins, and crunchy breadcrumbs. It’s a perfect expression of Sicily’s history, evoking the region’s Arab heritage and the unmistakable scent of the Mediterranean coast.
Minestra maritata (Italian wedding soup)
A classic of Campanian and Neapolitan cuisine, minestra maritata is a soup made from green vegetables, meat, and chicken broth, typically served on Christmas Day and Easter. It’s one of the most popular Italian Christmas foods outside Italy, especially in the United States. But do you know that the name “Italian wedding soup” is actually a mistranslation? In Italian, minestra maritata means “married soup,” referring to the marriage of the ingredients, not something you’d cook for a wedding day
Capitone (female eel)
Let’s stay in Southern Italy for a dish that’s a symbol of Christmas in Naples: il capitone. Neapolitans traditionally cook capitone fritto (fried), in umido (stewed), or alla griglia (grilled). But here is something that always surprises visitors: They buy it alive!
The female eels (they can grow over three feet long) are kept in a basin until cooking time, a custom meant to guarantee their freshness.
Cappone bollito or ripieno (boiled or stuffed capon)
Cappone (capon) is a traditional main course for Christmas lunch in many parts of Italy. In regions that prepare stuffed pasta with broth, the meat becomes the centerpiece of another dish called bollito (literally “boiled”), but cappone ripieno (roasted stuffed capon) is also very common.
In Piedmont and Lombardy, the meat is often served with rich gravies or mostarda, a sweet and spicy fruit preserve, while in Tuscany and Umbria, it comes with salsa verde, a parsley, garlic, and anchovy sauce.
Agnello arrosto or in umido (roast or stewed lamb)
Suckling lamb is a classic Italian Christmas food, symbolically tied to Catholic tradition, which is why you often find it on the table during major religious celebrations, such as Christmas and Easter, in Italy.
The way you cook it is by roasting it with rosemary, garlic, and potatoes, or by slowly stewing it with herbs and vegetables, such as artichokes, for added flavor. The result is a savory dish that combines simplicity with deep, rustic aromas.
If you spend Christmas in Rome, lamb is known as abbacchio.
Maiale arrosto (roasted pork)
Roasted pork has long been a staple of the local cuisine in Central and Southern Italy.
In Tuscany, you’ll find arista di maiale, a flavorful pork loin roasted with garlic, rosemary, and white wine. In Sardinia, Christmas celebrations often feature porceddu (“suckling pig” in the Sardinian language). Islanders slow-roast the whole animal over an open fire, with a spit of myrtle leaves for aroma, till the skin becomes incredibly crispy and the meat stays juicy and tender.
Brasato al Barolo (beef braised in Barolo wine)
Northern Italian cuisine also features rich, flavorful meat dishes: brasato al Barolo, from Piedmont, is definitely the jewel of them all. The dish is a slow-braised beef cooked in prized Barolo wine along with vegetables, cloves, and bay leaves. The meat becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender and pairs beautifully with polenta (boiled cornmeal) or mashed potatoes, which soak up the rich, wine-infused sauce.
Christmas desserts in Italy
No matter how abundant Christmas Eve dinner or Christmas Day lunch may be, there’s always room for dessert and a glass of spumante (sweet or dry Italian sparkling wine).
And since winter is the season of indulgence, a list of Italian Christmas food wouldn’t be complete without sweets. After all, you can always take a long passeggiata after lunch to walk it off, Italian style!
Panettone and Pandoro (“big bread”)
The most famous Italian Christmas desserts are panettone and pandoro. Panettone, which literally means “big bread”, is a fluffy, dome-shaped sweet bread originating from Milan, likely developed during the Middle Ages. The classic recipe features raisins and candied fruit mixed into the dough, but modern versions are also available, filled with chocolate or cream.
Pandoro, which you could translate as “golden bread”, comes from Verona and is a buttery, star-shaped cake. Each one comes with a small packet of powdered sugar to dust over the cake, which is always a fun ritual for children.
Panettone and pandoro can be enjoyed as desserts or for merenda (afternoon snack) during the holidays. In many northern Italian towns, you may even find locals sharing a slice of them with a glass of vin brulé (mulled wine) in front of the church on Christmas Eve to warm up after midnight Mass.
Torrone (nougat)
From large chocolate-bar-style slabs to bite-sized torroncini (little nougat), this sweet treat made of honey, sugar, and toasted almonds finds its way into every Italian home at Christmas. There are two main types: duro (hard) and morbido (soft), with countless local variations.
Struffoli (fried dough balls)
Among the Italian Christmas sweets you can easily make at home are struffoli, Neapolitan marble-sized fried dough balls coated in honey and colorful sprinkles. They’re best enjoyed warm, and fair warning, they’re addictive.
With slight variations and different names, you’ll find similar treats across Southern Italy: cicerchiata in Umbria and Abruzzo, strufoli in Sicily, and cicirata in Calabria.
Panforte (“strong bread”)
Tuscany’s signature Christmas dessert, panforte, dates back to medieval times and has changed very little since. Its ingredients—spices, orange and citron peel, candied melon, and black pepper—were very expensive back then, so it was a luxury sweet prepared by apothecaries and reserved for the wealthy. In the 19th century, the recipe evolved into the softer, milder version you can still taste today, dusted with vanilla sugar instead of pepper, and without the sour taste of melon.
Interesting fact: Siena’s panforte has been awarded PGI (protected geographical indication) status and, according to tradition, must contain seventeen ingredients, the same number as the city’s contrade (wards). It’s the perfect bite of history for the holiday table.
Carbone dolce (“sweet coal”)
Not exactly a Christmas dessert, but a beloved part of Italy’s holiday tradition is carbone dolce that kids receive on Epiphany, January 6.
On the night of January 5, children hang big stockings, hoping la Befana (a kind old witch who flies on a broom) will fill them with candy if they’ve behaved well. However, if they haven’t been nice during the year, they may receive charcoal instead. Luckily, carbone dolce looks like real charcoal but is actually a crunchy, sugary treat.
Get ready for an authentic Italian Christmas feast
With these 20+ traditional foods, you now have a good idea of what to expect from Christmas in Italy—and maybe, if you’re up for a challenge, which Italian recipes to try at home for your own pranzo di Natale.
But if you plan to spend the holidays in Italy, you’ll need more than just food vocabulary. Learning how to order food in Italian is essential during Christmas and other Italian festivals, and you’ll be amazed at how far even a few words can take you. Rosetta Stone can guide you from your very first words in Italian all the way to confident conversation. Are you ready to speak Italian like a local?
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