(Finance) – 7.5 million Italians this year have chosen to respect the fast for Good Friday, rediscovering a cultural and religious tradition that had faded over time. This is what emerges from theColdiretti / Ixè survey on the Easter of Italians which highlights a return of religiosity in a dramatic period marked by war and the economic crisis.
Together with those who have decided to practice abstinence from food for at least one day there is a 66% of Italians – Coldiretti notes – who will eat lean and bring fish to the table. To be preferred on this occasion – specifies Coldiretti – is above all blue fish, from anchovies to sardines to mackerel sold at lower prices according to the sobriety criteria required by the occasion.
“To guarantee quality – explains Coldiretti – the fresh fish it must have a flesh with a firm and elastic consistency, the gills of a red or pinkish color and moist and the eyes not dry or opaque, while the smell must not be strong and unpleasant. Finally, it is better not to choose fish that have already been mutilated of the head and fins while for molluscs and mussels, it is essential that the shell is closed. To ensure quality on the tables of Italians at Easter, many fishermen returned to the sea despite the safety risks. Choosing Italian fish – concludes Coldiretti – also means helping 12 thousand companies and 28 thousand workers in the national fleet who are facing a serious crisis due to the explosion of costs, starting from that of diesel, which force Italian fishing boats to navigate at a loss or cut the outputs and favoring imports of foreign fish “.