Article first published as A Traditional Italian Family Christmas on Technorati.
When I was
a child, Christmas was without a doubt the biggest event of the year. Even
though I come from Switzerland and spent a good part of my life in this
country, the influence of my Italian Grandmother, a Piedmont native, won over.
Our Christmas celebrations, year after year, had a definite Italian shine to
them.
First of
all, there was none of this splitting the family at Christmas or gathering in
different houses. The whole family met in my Grandmother's home for three days
in a row. Extra tables and chairs were brought from our neighbouring houses,
allowing everybody to sit and eat comfortably. The white table clothes and
napkins came out of their cupboard, and the three long tables were prettily
decorated. Numerous presents were carefully piled under the colourful Christmas
tree so that the crib would not be disturbed. Us children had real trouble
going to sleep the night before when our favourite day was so close.
On
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, serious action happened in the
kitchen under my Grandma's orders. New recipes were tried every year on
Christmas Eve, and I cannot recall one time when we thought one of the dishes
was only average. The food was always delicious. We would start the festivities
by some of the adults going to the early Christmas mass with the children, then
come home and unwrap the presents while enjoying the aperitif. There was many a
scream of delight as we discovered one of the toys we had so wished for. Once
the excitement had died down a bit, it was time to eat and enjoy the warm
family atmosphere. After the feast, the adults who had stayed home earlier
would then go to the midnight mass, while the children collapsed into bed,
exhausted.
Christmas
Day saw the slow roasting of a massive turkey. The bird would be stuffed with a
filling featuring chestnuts and the aroma made you feel hungry well before it
was time for lunch. Sometimes black truffles would also be used, and I have
this distinct image of incredibly thin mushroom slices being inserted in cuts
in the turkey. Once out of the oven, the delicate truffle taste had perfumed
the meat exquisitely.
Of course
there was always far too much food prepared over these two days, which is why
it became the tradition to all meet again on Boxing Day. Leftovers would then
be eaten in a convivial manner. When there was not that much turkey left, the
meat would be used to make a Bolognese sauce and homemade gnocchi then featured
on the menu.
It has been
a while since these childhood Christmases, but still today I cannot eat gnocchi
without thinking about the lovely times we had.
