Italian Holiday Traditions

Italian holiday traditions as far as Italian Dessert Recipes vary somewhat from family to family. But there are some Italian bread recipes that are definitely sold in stores, or baked at the bakeries specifically for Christmas or Easter. Now, as for each nuance of that recipe, or if it taste like "nana's" - that's beyond the scope of this page. Nobody can cook as good as your own nana, right?

Christmas

Most Italian holiday traditions include a cookie/fruit tray. But we don't serve our cookie tray FOR dessert. (I'll explain more below) We section out our cookies and put them on our tray. But next to the cookies, on the same tray, we usually have a section dedicated to each:

dried figs

dried apricots

dried dates

This cookie tray is left out all day. Our cookie fruit trays are NOT served as a dessert on Christmas. It's just there, looking pretty and ripe for little kids to pick through. The MAIN dessert for Christmas always included a cake with some sort of liqueur based cake.

And then a lot of people would have biscotti on their tray. Click here to see the Italian biscotti recipe page. Oh, and I forgot. Nuts. We usually had a bowl of walnuts, or filberts setting out with a nut cracker.

Easter

We have a bread called an Easter Bread. It's more about the shape, than the actual recipe or flavor. The tradition is to make the bread in the shape of a dove. (You can buy the pan at WalMart-type-places, or use paper molds from the speciality store.) The dove is the symbol of peace for the death burial and resurrection of Christ.

Italian Easter Bread

And the big huge-y which I get emails for all the time - the Cassata Cake. It's the green cake you see at the top of all of my pages.

St Patrick's Day

Yes, Italian's celebrate St. Pat's Day. Just for the sake of a celebration. I devoted a page to green desserts and Italian drinks on my St Patricks Day Desserts page. This just look great to take to work or serve at that March Madness get-together.

Drinks with Green Or A Hint Of Green

Sour Apple Martini Recipe

Basil Martini

Desserts

With Green Color

Mint Brownie Recipe

Pistachio Cookies

Pistachio Cake

Desserts

Made With Beer!

Spice Cake Recipe

Beer Cake

Valentines Day

Not that we have huge Italian holiday traditions for Valentines Day. But the best Italian cookie recipes that work for Valentines Day are the ones you can shape into hearts, or cut out as hearts. Click here to see my Valentine Cookie Recipes Thanks for stopping by. Hope this gives you some creative cooking ideas for the holiday.

Back to the top of the Italian holiday traditions