The Chef’s Pers-pective in December should be an easy column to write. The truth is that there are so many topics available in this last month of the year that it is not as easy as you might think. I considered topics ranging from what Christmas is like for a tourist visiting Italy to the artistry of the Nativity competitions that are widespread in nearly all regions of Italy.

While reading about the possible subjects that would resonate with me, I came across one article after another dealing with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. What caught my eye and intrigued me was that while some of the subject matter is consistent, the information related to traditions and history of this feast is sketchy. I decided to combine the information that I gathered and try to come up with an article with a consistent perspective on this topic.