Christmas table in Italy

The Italians are very sensitive to the traditions of celebrating the New year, moreover they are very superstitious. So, for example, is considered a good omen if the holiday table has 13 guests and on the table there are 13 dishes. On the festive table must be grape, as it is a symbol of longevity. Under the chiming clock, you must eat 12 grapes. And the one who eats the twelfth grape in the first second of the new year, the whole year will be accompanied by luck.

Also obligatory dish on the Christmas table is Zampone is a traditional Italian dish from Modena. In Italian means "Paws" and is a stuffed pig's foot. To prepare the stuffing for Zampone use meat from the shoulder and cheek, which mixed with spices. Received meat stuffed bag of pork legs, then carefully sewn up and dried in a special oven. The appearance of this dish is associated with the siege of Mirandola in 1510. Then in the besieged city over pig intestines for making sausages, and the inhabitants of the city came up with lard pigs ' feet. However, the dish remained popular after the war. The presence of pork on the Christmas table is a mandatory attribute, as it is believed that the pig is slowly but surely moving forward. Pork on the table is a symbol of abundance and the fatter the better. Zampone served with pulses, usually lentils, as a symbol of wealth and prosperity. The Italians believe that the more lentils you eat, the become richer.

And, of course, the Desk has to be Italian wine and French champagne is considered bad manners.