Thursday,
December 21,
More on "The Feast of the How Many
Fishes?" ?????
The
ANNOTICO Report
In
an earlier Report , I stated:
How
Many Fishes are to be included in "The Feast of the Fishes"??
Is
it Seven, or Eight, or Nine, Thirteen,
or Twenty two???????
Ok,
there will probably be more variations, and this article includes the Number
Twelve, The number of Apostles minus Judas. :)
Seven Fish Feast
An Italian
The Day,
December 20,2006
On
Christmas Eve,
The celebration is rooted in the Catholic tradition of eschewing meat on various days of the year. What's less clear is when or why the number of courses was set at seven.
Some scholars and cooks say it is for the
seven sacraments. Or for the seven sins. Or virtues. Perhaps for the seven days of the creation
story. Or for Mary and Joseph's seven-day journey to
"All of these types of holidays tend to
have a lot of bad folklore around them," said dining historian Carolin Young. "Five
different towns will claim they created it."
Eel is a mainstay of the meal for Romans, and
the traditional salted cod known as baccala is widely
eaten as part of the meal. But that's where predictability ends. Anything from
humble smelts and sardines to lobster and caviar might make an appearance.
Adding to the confusion, seven is sometimes
just a starting point. Many families cook nine fish (the Holy Trinity times
three), 11 (the 12 Apostles minus Judas), or 13 (the Apostles plus Jesus).
Others simply stop counting once they hit seven.
Families with smaller appetites often try to
include several fish in a single dish. Busy schedules and long distances have
forced many families to streamline the tradition. Regardless of how it's
prepared, families say the feast's main job is to offer an annual reunion, and
to keep the culture alive.
Here is a suggested menu for four people for a
Christmas Eve Feast of the Seven Fishes, courtesy of Carmelo D'Aprile, executive chef of Grappolo
Locanda restaurant in
http://www.theday.com/re_txt.aspx?re=
7617c142-84cd-4f26-b2d1-e9ee87ec47b1
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