Traditions from around the world

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RELATED STORIES

• Christmas Turkey Roll
• Pasta shells with seafood
• Timballi di Ricotta
• Hazelnut Biscotti

You'll know it's Christmas Eve in Italy by the date on the calendar.

But don't expect every home across the Mediterranean country to savour the same dishes as they celebrate the birth of Christ.

From north to south, region to region, from sea side to mountain top, the Christmas cuisine varies as drastically as the dialects themselves.

Gianni Ceschia, a chef and culinary instructor based in the Toronto-area says despite the difference at the dinner table, there are two staples no Italian can be without at Christmas: Panetone and Pandoro.

"The Panetone is typical from Milan.... it's like a fruit cake. It's a big loaf of bread, but it is rich by adding raisins, fruit and butter and eggs.... and that is the typical, typical, typical loaf of bread that has to be on the table at Christmas. And the Pandoro is more a sponge, very rich cake.... and it also originated from the Veneto region and the city where it's most popular in Verona."

Growing up in the small town of Fruili, bordering Austria and Slovenia, Ceschia remembers being a young boy and hoping a well-to-do friend who lived in Milan would remember them that year. And as always, a huge basket of goodies arrived at their door, and in it, was always a Panatone.

Cheschia says it was the highlight of the season for him as a boy.

But the entrees were a different story.

While Christmas Eve saw a Lenten meal of fish and pasta served, when it came to the big day itself, it was all about meat. Any kind of meat.

Ceschia says while turkey is a very traditional feast in many Italian homes, depending on where you live, the menu changes.

In the town of Friuli, where he grew up, duck was the dish of choice. Others celebrated the day with capon (rooster).

"Here in Canada everybody, or a big majority on Christmas Eve, has a big dinner of fish, no meat. The pasta has to be meatless with ricotta or the fish sauce."

"In Italy, it's different in every region. Some Italians on Christmas Eve they go to mass and after mass they stop at the local restaurant beside the church there and it is tradition to have a tripe (cow's stomach) soup."

While it's unclear if tripe soup is on his menu, here you will find four traditional dishes associated with Christmas in Italy.

Stuffed turkey roll, pasta shells stuffed with seafood, hazelnut biscotti and timballi di ricotta.

Boun Natale!