The writings of R. Anthony Saritelli Riverside, Rhode ...



La Vigilia di Natale and The Atlantic Rainbow SmeltMany traditions are alive today because people continue to value them and passed them along to their children and others who appreciate participating and preserving those valued aspects of cultural heritage. One such tradition in Italian-American families is the practice of abstaining from meat on the vigil of Christmas holiday. Before 1966, Roman Catholics were required to abstain from meat on all Fridays. In Latin, caro means meat and is the root of the English word carnivore, and has never been interpreted to include fish or even the byproducts of animals such as dairy or eggs. Before 1983, Roman Catholics were still required to fast and abstain from eating meat on the vigils of solemn religious days such as Easter and Christmas. By abstaining from eating meat the day prior to a feast it is a sacrifice that allows for the penance of our sins and also a cleansing through ascetism and obedience to allow for God to be received by us. It is an act of preparation not a punishment. The 1983, Code of Canon Law removed this obligation to abstain and fast in anticipation of obligatory holidays but many Roman Catholics have retained the tradition nonetheless. Less pious others choose to refrain from eating meat in a vigil supper that adhere to the ascetic custom. Italians are not alone in maintaining the “Vigilia” before Christmas in that many Easter European cultures including Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian and Slovak maintain aspects of the meat-free Christmas Eve tradition. The French often eat their Christmas Eve repast after midnight Mass and therefore can include meat dishes.More Italians emigrated to the United States than any other Europeans, although more of them settled in South America than in the North. Between 1880 and 1920, over 4 million Italians immigrants entered the United States mostly from the southern Italy. In the early 1900s, southern Italy was beset by hardships including poverty, overpopulation, illiteracy, unemployment, high rents and taxes, malnutrition and domination in politics by the industrial North. The South was impoverished by a lack of arable land, deforestation which led to soil erosion, no significant natural resources such as iron ore and coal, and flourishing criminal enterprises especially in Sicily. Southern Italy also suffered from natural disasters including volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. In 1908, a severe earthquake and tidal wave killed 100,000 Sicilians in Messina alone. By 1914, Italy lost a half million residents annually to those fleeing its pernicious difficulties. Most Italians heading for America landed in New York City. Many were drawn to urban life because of the need for manual laborers; in the early years of immigration half of the Italian men worked in heavy construction laboring to build bridges, dig tunnels, set rails and to construct city buildings. Women worked as seamstresses in garment factories and as machine operators in the textile industry. Not all Italians were unskilled and those with crafts and trades often sought out areas that could use their artisan talents. Stonecutters from Calabria worked the granite quarries in Westerly, Rhode Island, for example. In New York City, Italians became prominent fruit vendors and growers of produce in California. Wherever they went they brought with them the Italian heritage and brought the traditions of their ancestors to America in an effort to preserve them for future generations. Italians celebrate la vigilia di Natale in Italy and America which is often termed the Feast of the Seven Fishes-although many families serve up more seafood courses. It is said that seven is in reverence to the seven days of Creation and/or the seven sacraments in the Holy Church. Self-denial promotes holiness; coming together to eat in an ascetic observance promotes religious identity and unites fellowship. The restrictions required of the faithful illustrate the character of the Italian cucina in transforming what was meant as a sacrifice into a traditional celebration. The preparation and sharing of the food becomes a bonding connection of significance to those who gather together to partake it. Calamari fritti-fried squid, Calamari ripieni con pomodoro-bread crumb stuffed squid with tomatoes, ‘old-world’ style baccala salad- with white potatoes, garlic and olives-[salted cod fish salad], insalata di mare-seafood salad, pesce al forno-baked fish, scungilli [snail] salad-marinated whelk salad, spaghetti alle vongole-pasta with clams, impepata di cozze-[mussel soup], gamberoni alla griglia [grilled shrimp] are just some of the dishes served especially by Italians that emigrated from Southern Italy. In Italy, fried, fresh-caught sardines are a plentiful favorite often served golden brown sprinkled with sea salt, mint leaves. lemon or white wine vinaigrette. Sarde fritte is a fried dish of small, bony, oily fish related to herring high in omega-3 fatty acids named after the island of Sardinia. The English starting in the 15th century began calling each such imported fish--a sardine---after their Mediterranean isle origin. Italian immigrants here could not obtain them fresh so they turned to the rainbow smelt. Italians follow the adage that when buying fish, it is better to get what is freshest at the local market and not what you might otherwise desire. Fresh imported sardines were not available at all. Quality and freshness rule supreme in choosing fare for the Italian table from the fishmonger. Frugal Italian immigrants prized the cheap, nutritious, locally fished smelt. Fried smelts are unique in that although frequent on the tables of Italians in America they are known only by their Anglo name. The freshwater American smelt is prepared similarly to sardines by coating them with white flour before frying and is a first-rate substitute. Italian-Americans never christened the replacement for sardines with a vowel-ending name; they are simply fried smelts. In France, fish nomenclature emphasizes the local tongue. Salted dried cod is morue, fresh cod is cabillaud, catfish is barbate macho iron, haddock is e’glefin or aiglefin, hake is merle, halibut is fl’etan and English sole or flounder is limande—which is also slang for a flat-chested mademoiselle. If you peruse the appetizers offered in upscale Italian restaurants today one can often still see ‘fried smelt’ listed among other fare that is written in proper Florentine Italian like Tonno sott’ Olio. Adopted, they are truly Italian in everything but their name and origin. Smelts are also often eaten with the backbone intact, whole except for the missing head. Although children usually pull out the soft, edible backbone due to their stronger taste before indulging. Backbones can be pulled out prior to cooking the dressed smelt.The rainbow smelt [Osmerus mordax] is a slender fish with a pointed head, cylindrical bodies and a deeply forked tail fin. The large mouth contains many teeth that tear apart prey mostly small organisms but will try to eat any susceptible fish they encounter. Mostly a dark blue green with silvery tones its sides are an iridescent pink, blue and violet. Most full adults range from 7 to 9 inches in length, weighing about 3 ounces. What is caught now is down from the historical commercial catches in what was once productive habitat; in 1880 about 9 million fish were hauled from the Charles River in Massachusetts alone whereas as today they swim there sparingly. In New England, the fish is commonly found in the Gulf of Maine where in the summer months they swim in waters within a mile of the rocky shore and only twenty feet or so deep. In Autumn they are landed from rivers, estuaries, ponds and inlet bays by lightweight spinning rods with clams, marine worms and mummichogs as bait. They are anadromous fish ascending from saltwater to fresh water to breed but even landlocked smelts can survive by spawning exclusively in the fresh water usually soon after the first ice melt. Those that return from the ocean being weak swimmers cannot overcome most fish ladders and often are prevented from reaching the headwater streams where they spawn by dams. During the Spring run many are captured with dip or gill nets as they move up toward their natal streams to spawn. They spawn at night in the smallest of streams often in those that dry up in the summer heat. In the winter months, fishermen hook them from protective shanties or heated shacks over the frozen ice of the tidal rivers and coastal bays. They produce an antifreeze protein and fatty glycerol that enables them to overwinter under the ice in coastal estuaries. Landlocked fish in Maine were introduced to Crystal Lake in Michigan and led to them colonizing the Great Lakes and its tributaries. The native range extends from Labrador to New Jersey in the watersheds of Atlantic drainage into the Arctic and in the Pacific drainage watersheds as far south as Vancouver Island in Canada.Few Italians cared to know the life cycle of the smelts when they purchased them from street vendors and markets or iced down on fish trucks which hawked them in the ‘Little Italy’ neighborhoods within many American cities. Here was a pedestrian fare which admirably approximated the qualities of the fresh sardine. They were of humble origin, plentiful and inexpensive--suitable for a repast that was symbolic of sacrifice. In a small way, their addition to the Christmas Eve vigil was representative of what Italians hoped to gain from their new home in America. Not riches nor treasure but a place to raise family while seeking education and an opportunity to succeed through hard work. A fish that was not from the seas surrounding Italy but a treasure from God nonetheless—proof of the suitability of their new home in the Americas as a haven for their deep-seated Italian souls.Fried Smelt Recipe- La Festa dei Sette Pesci.Ingredients:1 to 2 pound of fresh smelts or defrosted frozen smelts, patted dry with absorbent, paper towels or a laundered, white dishtowel or ‘mopine.’White All-Purpose flour for dredging.Garlic powder to taste [Kosher or sea] salt and [black, fresh ground] pepperCanola oil, corn or peanut oil mixed with smaller quantity of pure olive oil—Extra-extra virgin not recommended for fryingLemon wedges, fresh Italian broad-leaf parsley for garnishDirections:You may wish to remove the backbone. ? Grasping the head-end of the backbone should allow you to remove the center bone in a single pull as you pull down towards the tail. The bone is soft when cooked and edible providing added calcium and impart a stronger taste which some diners prefer so many chefs opt to leave them be.Put the flour in a large bowl or brown paper bag and season it with garlic powder, sea or kosher salt; fresh, crushed black pepper adds much to the flavor.? Gently toss the smelts in the flour to coat them evenly.Heat a large, cast-iron frying pan with about ? of an inch of cooking oil in it.? When a bit of flour sizzles when dropped into the oil, it is hot enough for adding the fish.? Cook them quickly in a single layer in the hot pan, turning them once until golden brown; this may need to be done in batches to ensure crispiness when done. ?Drain them on paper towels and keep warm until all are ready to be servedArrange the smelts on a platter and sprinkle with more coarse-grained salt and fresh Italian parsley; serve immediately with lemon wedges or acidic wine vinegar. [Also, excellent sprinkled with malt vinegar & kosher salt]By Robert A. Saritelli05/12/2019 Mother’s DayReferences:Research Matic: Italian Immigration in the 1900s. 2013- 2017.LaFosse, Genevieve. Fasting and Abstaining before the Christmas Feast. Bayley Bulletin Contributor. March 17, 2017Marino, Maria: Feast of the Seven Fishes. Italy Magazine. The Rainbow Smelt-Wikipedia ................
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