Westerners take Christmas very seriously. For them, this is the most meaningful, grand and well-attended holiday of the year. They clean their houses from November, decorate the Christmas tree, prepare gifts and especially always save energy for the most important meal on the evening of December 24. Every country has its own unique dishes to close the old year.
Wild chicken, roasted wild boar
Before turkeys - which originated from America - had time to "migrate" to Europe, at Christmas, people in this country, especially in countries such as France... were extremely fond of grilled and roasted wild meat dishes from rabbits, wild chickens, and wild boars. They had many different ways of preparing them, but at the end of the year, the ancient Europeans had the habit of making wild chickens and roasted wild boars stuffed with many kinds of stuffing such as vegetables, seeds, dried fruits...
Traditional Christmas roast chicken with stuffing
Roast goose
Like wild game, roast goose is also a popular dish at Christmas in Germany. They call this dish “weihnachtsgans” with the goose stuffed with a mixture of apples, prunes, chestnuts, European herbs… then roasted until the whole kitchen is filled with the fragrant aroma of goose meat.
Germans reserve this goose dish for the most important meal of the year.
This is a German tradition that dates back to the Middle Ages and is still maintained today. Roast goose is served with red cabbage and potato pancakes to wish for a prosperous new year.
Stollen and pudding
Stollen are sweet cakes filled with candied fruits and nuts and topped with icing sugar. They are extremely popular in Germany. Other Western countries have similar puddings. However, the puddings do not contain icing sugar and are soaked in liquor for weeks or even months.
The cake is sprinkled with white powdered sugar to look like falling snowflakes.
Mulled wine
Most Europeans prefer to cook wine to celebrate the end of the year with its distinctive and attractive aroma. They cook red wine with orange, spices such as cinnamon, star anise, cloves and some herbs such as rosemary, thyme. This drink has a light, fragrant fruity aroma and very little alcohol, served hot.
Cooked wine is a drink reserved for lively parties.
Eggnog
For those who don’t drink wine, this creamy eggnog cocktail is the perfect choice. It is the second most popular Christmas drink after mulled wine. Eggnog is made by whisking eggs with sugar and wine and then pouring in hot milk. A dollop of chanility cream on top makes the drink look like a glass of snow.
Famous egg cocktails of English speaking countries
Smoked lamb, oatmeal, meatballs and pickled cod
Unlike Western European countries, the cold Nordic countries all year round have very special traditional Christmas dishes.
Icelanders choose smoked lamb with boiled potatoes, beans, pickles and sauces while Norwegians choose dried cod in vinegar with sauces to entertain guests. The salted and smoked lamb is sometimes boiled and the cod is aged for a long time in ice before being processed.
Smoked lamb
In Finland, oatmeal is considered an indispensable tradition at the end of the year. A special type of rice is cooked over low heat with milk, butter and cinnamon powder, then mixed with raisins, nuts and eaten with fresh fruits such as blueberries...
This seemingly simple dish is present on the most important feast of the year for the Swedish people. Instead of making meatballs in the usual way with ground pork, they have many unique ways to make it.
Meatballs are made from a mixture of minced chicken and beef with some other spices and fried or grilled to taste. They are served with mashed potatoes, pickles, sauce and spaghetti.
Steamed buns and soup
In Poland, people do not eat meat on Wigilia, a Christmas Eve party that is highly anticipated by the people of this country.
They will eat steamed buns, radish soup, carp, pickled cabbage, dried fruit juice, bread… with the wish for fullness and prosperity. This is also one of the religious countries and highly values the ceremonial aspects of the year-end party.
Poles eat soup and wontons
Seafood party
Italian people have a very happy and bustling Christmas party with the Feast of the Seven Fishes including all kinds of seafood such as fish, shrimp, squid, oysters, octopus...
After eating their fill of seafood, people will cut Panettone to offer to guests. This is a sweet bread with candied fruit, chocolate, raisins, nuts... They continue to treat guests with nougat, zeppole donuts...
Southern European Italian seafood dining table
Pork Rolls and Trifle
The UK is known as a country with a simple and uncomplicated cuisine. Christmas parties here are not as grand and lavish as in many places with rich cuisines. However, their Christmas dishes are also very interesting and filling.
Pork in a blanket is a fun way to say bacon wrapped around a sausage. The sausages “covered in a blanket” look really fun. Their main dishes also include roast turkey, roast goose (before turkey), some vegetables and potatoes…
Trifle is a dessert made with sponge cake, custard cream, chandlery cream, jelly, and fruit. The cake base is brushed with cherry sauce and light wine, then layers of cake, jelly, fruit, and cream are arranged.
Gorgeous desserts just for Christmas
It can be seen that although Western countries have similarities in the way they celebrate Christmas, in terms of cuisine, each country has a different color. Let's raise a glass to celebrate another Christmas season with Travellive.
Wishing all our readers a warm Christmas season filled with delicious food!
