Traditional Christmas meals around the world 🎅
Have you ever wondered what Christmas traditions look like in other countries? Since cuisines are so versatile around the world, you wouldn’t expect Christmas meals to be any different. 🎄
Let’s have a look at some of the traditional Christmas dishes around the globe:
Japan
Something that is normally considered to be a quick meal for take out is a traditional Christmas dish in Japan: KFC. In fact, so many people in Japan love this tradition that orders need to be submitted two months in advance. This tradition dates back to the 1970s, when KFC came up with the Party Barrel for the holidays. 🍗
Puerto Rico & Philippines
One of the traditional Christmas dishes in both Puerto Rico and the Philippines is lechon, or roast suckling pig.
In the Philippines, Christmas celebrations start from September (anyone who has given me side eye for listening to Christmas carols in November, please take note) and they also enjoy hamon (cured pork leg) and quesa de bola (ball of cheese) during Noche Buena (Christmas dinner), right after the Misa de Gallo (mass of the rooster). 🐓
Puerto Rico also enjoys long Christmas celebrations, starting from late November and going onto early January. Apart from lechon, you may also find arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) in a traditional Christmas meal. 🇵🇷
Italy
We all know that the most delicious Christmas dessert comes from Italy: panettone and best of all, pandoro. Biting into it feels like you’re biting into a soft, sugary cloud. However, for the main meals, Italians usually eat something that is not common for us Maltese during Christmas time. In Italy, a traditional Christmas meal includes fish most of the time. One of the most popular dishes is baccala, a gorgeous salted cod. 🇮🇹
Lithuania
In Lithuania, Christmas eve is characterised by Kucios, which is the name for the traditional Lithuanian Christmas dinner. This event involves a lot of preparation, which can start up to a week before the actual dinner, since the dishes are all dairy-free and meat-free. This tradition originally included nine dishes, but now it has expanded to 12 dishes (one for every apostle). Kucios usually includes herring, smoked eel, vegetables, sauerkraut, bread, and cranberry pudding. 🇱🇹
France
Christmas in France is quite fancy when it comes to food. Traditional dishes for this jolly occasion are oysters, smoked salmon, foie gras, coquilles Saint Jacques (scallops), as well as meaty dishes like fowl (quail or pheasant), game meat (venison or even a beef wellington), and roasted ham or turkey. However, the Buche de Noel (Yule log) is the star of the show. This soft and creamy dessert is made with sponge cake and chocolate buttercream. 🇫🇷
Poland
Similar to the Lithuanians, the Polish enjoy a meat-free feast on Christmas eve, also known as Wiglia. They serve 12 dishes, one for every apostle, and the food cannot be consumed until family members have broken Christmas wafers and wished each other prosperity and good health. The dinner starts when the first star appears in the sky, and on the dinner table you will most likely find mushroom soup, sauerkraut, herring, gingerbread, poppy seed cake, and obviously, pierogi. Kolaczki, flaky cookies filled with jelly, are also a popular Christmas sweet. 🥟
The Netherlands
Gourmetten is a popular tradition for Christmas time in the Netherlands. This typically involves a group of people sitting at a table and cooking their own dishes in small pans. Traditional Dutch Christmas food includes meat (like turkey, venison, goose or hare), a lot of veggies, and most importantly, kerstbrood (Christmas bread). 🇳🇱
Sweden
The Swedes also serve a multi-course meal for Christmas. Julbord is a three-course Swedish meal that is traditionally served during Christmas time. The first dish is typically pickled herring or another type of fish, followed by cold cuts, Christmas ham, and sausages. The third course Janssons frestelse, a meatball and potato casserole. After that savoury feast, the Swedes make some room for dessert, which usually includes saffron buns and rice pudding. 🐟
Germany
One of the most important parts of Christmas in Germany is the weihnachtsgans. This is a beautifully roasted goose, usually seasoned and stuffed with chestnuts, apples, prunes, and onions. It is typically served alongside sauerkraut, red cabbage, knodel (dumplings), or other side dishes. As for dessert, Germans feast on stollen, a long, sweet bread, or lebkuchen, a soft gingerbread cookie. 🍪
Just like food, Christmas aims to unite family and friends together, so when you combine the two together, it’s a whole feast of love! Which of these (or other) Christmas traditions have you tried?
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