Feast of the Seven Fishes: A Holiday Tradition Worth Buying Into
If you haven’t heard about the Feast of the Seven Fishes, you probably didn’t grow up in an Italian-American household. Yet that is no reason you can’t join in the delectable tradition. After all, isn’t this a year where we could all use a bit more festivity—and seafood sales?
Holiday Fish Tales
The Feast of the Seven Fishes is celebrated on December 24. While the exact origin remains unclear, most believe the Italian tradition of eating seafood on Christmas eve started in the country’s southern region, where seafood was the holiday menu of choice due to its abundance, variety, and affordability. Between 1880 and 1924, as many as four million Southern Italians fled their poverty-stricken homeland searching for a better life in America; they brought this healthy tradition with them. Most people also believe the practice was fortified by the Roman Catholic religion that, before reforms in the 1960s, encouraged abstinence and fasting on Christmas Eve with a single nighttime meatless meal. Seafood was the logical choice for hungry Catholic Italians.
Equally unclear is where the feast got its name, although most researchers believe it, too, is tied to Catholicism. According to scholars, the number seven appears 735 times in the bible, counting everything from the seven sacraments to the seven virtues.
Traditional Twists
The good news for seafood lovers—and sellers— is that the feast has evolved and expanded over the years as its popularity increases. Below are examples of how the tradition has shifted and how seafood sellers can take advantage of these new opportunities.
Who’s counting? While the Feast of the Seven Fishes is a good marketing moniker, most of those who participate in the feast don’t stop at seven. Many feature as many as double that number of interesting and delectable seafood dishes, including Harvest of the Sea’s Seafood Medley which incorporates a delicious mixture of Asian shrimp, Indian wild-caught calamari, Argentine scallops, and Canadian Prince Edward Island Blue mussels. The opulence of the Feast of the Seven Fishes provides an opportunity for sellers to broaden their seafood offerings as well as suggested accompaniments, ranging from pasta and grains to seasonings and side dishes—and so much in between.
A promotional feast. As Italian cookbook author Amy Riolo told American Food Roots, “Americans love themes.” They also love feasts and outings that sound festive. Bingo! The Feast of the Seven Fishes provides a fabulous way for restaurants and other seafood outlets to use all three of these “loves” to promote seafood throughout the holiday season. (The first known reference to the feast was a 1983 advertisement for a restaurant in Philadelphia.) Offering Feast of the Seven Fishes specials on weekends or even daily can encourage a year-long seafood following. It also provides a prime opportunity to test dishes to see what resonates with diners. Popular items can be featured more often or even added to the menu or inventory.
New horizons. Affordable fish and seafood options of the past that most often landed carp and eel on holiday plates have given way to a broad selection of flavorful sea fare, such as branzino, calamari, and shrimp. This means seafood sellers can stock up on these fresh-frozen standbys for the feast days without waste, knowing they will be used in the new year.
Healthy holidays. Many Americans are becoming more health-conscious and/or vegetarian and are watching their weight. They are looking to eat healthier and lighter even—often especially—during the holidays. As a result, more diners are turning to fish and seafood as healthy, low-calorie options. Consider, for example, that a 3.5 ounce serving of branzino provides 18.4 grams of protein and is loaded with OMEGA-3s, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes, all while weighing in at only 97 calories. The Feast of the Seven Fishes offers a way to feed into this healthier mentality and lead sales right up to those eat-healthier New Year’s resolutions.