Traditional Christmas Food

Austria

Austrians sit down on Christmas Eve to dishes prepared with carp. On Christmas Day the choice is either roast goose or roast duck with red cabbage and dumplings. Dessert includes Christmas cookies such as Lebkuchen (gingerbread) or Vanillekipferi (vanilla crescents).

England

In the UK dinner consists of roast turkey, roast potatoes, and sprouts. There might also be boiled potatoes and sweets, including dry fruits and whipped cream. A traditional dessert can be a Christmas pudding or a yule log or a sweet porridge. Other alternatives to dinner are Roast beef or beef Wellington. Yorkshire pudding and braised red cabbage as side dishes, and for dessert, trifle or minced pies.

Estonia

For Christmas Estonians prefer a dish of duck breast with a side of mashed potatoes. There might be a seafood platter and whole-meal bread with butter and homemade mayonnaise. There might be a Christmas dinner with roast pork as the centerpiece with sauerkraut and potatoes. Fish dishes such as herring served pickled or marinated. Traditional desserts include gingerbread cookies or a special Christmas pudding.

Finland

Among the customary dishes are swede and carrots, a potato casserole, dill-cured salmon, and a leafy green salad. On the table can be a rosolli salad that includes carrots, beetroot, apple pieces, and cubed potatoes mixed with mayonnaise.  The centerpiece is often an oven-baked ham, known as joulukinkku, which is typically served with mustard. A popular side dish is rutabaga casserole. Among fish dishes there is gravlax (cured salmon) and various herring dishes. Christmas desserts include joulutorttu, puff pastries filled with plum jam or rice pudding served with sugar and cinnamon.

France

The French sit down on Christmas Day to a selection of cold meats and cheese. These are followed by salted jelly and cabbage filled with minced pork meat. Other favorite dinners include roast duck or roast turkey as well as venison. Seafood: In coastal regions, feature platters with oysters, shrimp, and fish. A traditional dessert is bûche de Noël, or Yule log, served with fresh cream.

Germany

German Christmas tables usually have a roast duck, goose, or turkey as the main course, accompanied by red cabbage, dumplings, and potatoes. Dessert includes stollen, a traditional favorite with dried fruit, spices, and nuts topped by powdered sugar. Many homes also have gingerbread houses on display.

Greece

The Greek Christmas includes roasted pork or beef accompanied by homemade rustic pies. In northern Greece hearty stews and soups are popular. Traditional sweets include melomakarona, honey-soaked cookies, and kourambiethes, powdered sugar cookies. Christopsomo, a sweet bread decorated with symbols, is also a traditional offering during Christmas.

Italy

For Italians the meal enjoyed on Christmas Eve is called La Vigilia and can last for several hours. Traditional appetizers include cured meats, cheeses, and seafood, followed by the first course with pasta dishes like ravioli or lasagna. The main course includes roasted meats such as lamb or capon. Christmas dessert includes panettone, pandoro, and tortone.

Latvia

On Christmas Day Latvians enjoy sitting down to a smoked meat dinner with boiled potatoes and pickled vegetables. A special tradition features 12 dishes that symbolize the 12 months of the year. Common dishes include roasted pork, carp, boiled or roasted potatoes, grey peas, stewed sauerkraut, pig snout, sweet roots, and gingerbread cookies. On Christmas Eve, it is customary not to eat meat, and the meal often includes dishes like cooked brown or gray peas with bacon sauce, small pies, and bacon rolls. The preparation for Christmas involves tidying up the home and setting a festive table, often laden with nine specific foods to symbolize good fortune.

Montenegro

The traditional Christmas Day meal features a special kind of dumpling, pickled whitefish with onion, sauerkraut, and pickled mushroom. There might even be roast pork. Dessert is kutia, cooked wheat with honey, raisins, ground poppy seeds, and chopped nuts.

Norway

Norwegians enjoy a festive dinner on Christmas Eve that includes roast pork with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut. In some homes, there may be the traditional whole steamed sheep’s head with the eye and ear meant to be eaten first. For dessert, multekrem, a dish made with whipped cream, sugar, and cloudberries. Cakes are very popular, and families make a special bread called julekake, which is a sweet bread filled with candied peel, cardamom, and raisins.

Portugal

On Christmas Day the Portuguese sit down to cod in a variety of dishes along with boiled potatoes. For dessert are two variations of Christmas cake. A nut- and fruit-filled creation known as bolo rei and one without candied fruit known as bolo rainha. There can also be a fried dough creations with a topping of sugar and cinnamon along with small sweet dishes called broa consisting of sweet potato and egg yolk.

Scotland

On Christmas, the Scottish enjoy roast turkey or roast goose stuffed with a skirlie, made from oats and onions. Among the sides are neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes), and Brussel sprouts. For starters it is usually Cullen Skink, a creamy smoked haddock soup. Traditional desserts include Clootie Dumpling, a steamed fruit pudding, and Cranachan, made with raspberries, cream, and whiskey.

Serbia

Among Serbian traditions at Christmas is Cesnica, homemade bread, as the main feature. This is traditionally made for the holiday and is prepared with egg yolk, butter, milk, and sugar. A coin and a piece of wood are baked into the bread, and it is broken into pieces by the older members of the family as they try to find the coin or wood. Whoever gets the coin can expect a good and prosperous year, and whoever gets the piece of wood is considered hard-working. The main meal consists of fish, onion, and baked beans.

Spain

In Spain Christmas guests start off with a chicken noodle soup at includes boiled eggs. On the table you’ll find peppermint and chickpeas. The dinner consists of cured jamon ham, prawns, and sliced summer sausage known as salchichon with manchego cheese. Their main dish is sirloin steak marinated in fresh orange juice served with blue cheese rolls. A traditional dessert includes a turrón or nougat dish that is a mix of sugar, honey, almonds, and egg whites.

Sweden

On the Swedish Christmas table is a buffet of cold fish dishes. In some homes this may occur on Christmas Eve. There is also a boiled ham glazed with eggs and mustard and baked crisp and then served cold with other buffet dishes. Also a potato and fish dish known as lutfisk.