Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
– Nat King Cole, Chestnut Roasting On An Open Fire
My favourite festive number by Nat King Cole. Everybody knows it’s Christmas season! Sure, it also feels like the season of gifts, trees and peppermint flavoured everything. Not to forget, delectable log cakes and roast turkey, but have you ever wondered what people from around the world eat for Christmas?
United Kingdom
In the UK, a traditional English Christmas dinner would always have a turkey. Other popular dishes include ham or roast beef, but roast turkey is the main course served with stuffing and an array of roast vegetables.
Japan
The Japanese way of celebrating Christmas is having buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken with families and friends. Come to think of it, the branding of KFC is predominantly in red and white, and features a joyful, bearded white man – put them all together, it does reminds us of Santa Claus. The idea of a Christmas KFC meal was introduced by KFC Japan in December 1974 and has since become a local tradition.
Greece
For the Greeks, the meat of the plat de résistance is not turkey but rather pork. A country with some 4,000 years of culinary tradition, pork is possibly the most un-Mediterranean food in Greece. However, if you consider its geography and season, especially during winter, pork becomes an essential source of protein in a Greek’s diet and there are many ways to prepare pork dishes apart from Souvlaki. Greek-style roast pork is probably the star of the Christmas dinner. They are served as the main course with spinach, cheese pie and salads.
Italy
For the Italians, they usually enjoy a light seafood dish before attending the Midnight Mass. They do not consume meat on Christmas Eve. Some believe that they have to eat up to seven different fish dishes because it represents the seven holy sacraments of the Catholic Church.
Argentina
There is no roast turkey in an Argentinian Christmas feast, instead, there are slices of veal served with a creamy anchovy and tuna sauce, and it’s called Vitel Toné. Well, it might sound like one of those branded spring water, but it’s actually one of Argentina’s most beloved Christmas dishes, with its origin from Italy.
Portugal
A traditional Christmas feast in Portugal will always have Bacalhau à Gomes de Sa, or Salted Cod Fish. A popular dish made with salt cod, potatoes, onions, hard-boiled eggs, olives and olive oil. Bacalhau is a Portuguese word for cod, and they are typically dried and salted. It is the nation’s beloved dish despite the pungent smell.
Norway
Once a Norwegian dish that is usually eaten by the poor, today Smalahove is considered to be a Nordic delicacy. The name Smalahove literally means the head of a sheep, it is a combination of two Norwegian words hove (head) and smale (sheep). The dish is commonly served with mashed potatoes or rutabaga.
France
Foie Gras is one of the best-known delicacies of France. It is made from liver fat of ducks and geese, and no Christmas and New Year dinner would be complete without it. Foie Gras can be either served on its own, on bread, on toast with fruit marmalade or simply on its own with a sprinkle of salt.
Poland
There are different recipes to cook a bowl of borscht that is rich with oxtail meat and beets. For the Polish, there is a Christmas version, featuring clear ruby-red beet stock with dumpling called uzska, filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms.
Ireland
Traditionally served at Christmas or the New Year in Ireland, spiced beef is a festive favourite. The beef briskets are cured and salted, then boiled, broiled or semi-steamed in water or Irish Guinness. After which, the beef briskets are seasoned with spices and refrigerated.
Philippines
The most delicious Christmas dish in Philippines is the roast pig, or lechon. The word “lechon” is a Spanish term that refers to a roasted suckling pig. There are different versions of roast pig in Asia – but the Philippines version is more crispy, flavourful and tender, it has even earned praises from the late globetrotter and chef Anthony Bourdain.
Iceland
Leaf Bread or Laufabrauð is a traditional kind of Icelandic bread that is most often eaten in the Christmas season. They are thinly sliced and have intricate designs carved into them using special tools or a pocketknife. They are also known as the “snowflake bread” in English because of the cut-through patterns.
